The Worst Place to Try and Be Normal
by conflict-of-interest7
Summary: A new girl shows up in Konoha. Is she what she seems? Will the ninja's like her? And why on earth would she call Naruto sensei? Pairings will reveal themselves in time...
1. Chapter 1

The World's Worst Place to Try and Be Normal

_Chapter 1_

"You think you got what it takes, Sasuke? Do you really think you can beat me? Well, let's just see! Take this, and that, and some of this…"

"No, Naruto, please…don't hurt me! My ninja skills pale in comparison to yours…" Sasuke winced from the pain.

"That's right, Naruto! Take him down! I can't believe I ever liked such a wimp!" Sakura yelled in glee as the love of her life destroyed Sasuke. "Show no mercy, Naruto, Naruto, Naruto…"

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP

Naruto Uzamaki slowly opened his eyes. He hit the alarm clock and got out of bed to get dressed. When the alarm clock didn't turn off, he threw a shuriken at it. And, just for good measure, tossed it out the window. After all, had it not been the clock's fault he had awoken from the greatest dream ever?

He went over to the fridge. To-do list. 1) Meet Sakura and Kakashi for mission. 2) Eat ramen for lunch. 3)…Hold on, Naruto thought to himself. This…this is…yesterday's list…He ripped of the first page to see what his real list looked like.

"Ah! NOOOOO!" Naruto stared in horror. Nothing! He flipped to the next one. Nothing again! "But…but I always do the entire month's list…" He gasped. Maybe there really wasn't anything to do…Sometimes things like that would happen. They'd been happening more often, though, since that stupid Sasuke had left. Naruto sighed. How could there be a day with nothing to do?

"I know!" Naruto cried. "I'll go see Sakura! She'll know what to do!" So, as soon as he was done getting ready, Naruto set off to look for Sakura.

_Later…_

Sakura Haruno was standing outside a clothing store, window-shopping, when Naruto found her.

"Huh? Naruto, what are you doing here?"

Naruto shrugged, "I dunno. It's just…I don't really have anything to do today…"

"Well, go find someone else to bother. I'm already having a bad day. An alarm clock of all things fell on my head. As a matter of fact, it was near…"

"Ah, sorry Sakura gotta go!"

"Naruto!" But he was already gone.

_Somewhere else… _

Naruto looked around. Chouji and Kiba were messing with some female ninjas, Neji and Tenten were on a date, Shino was showing Hinata a cool trick with his bugs, and Ino was bothering Shikamaru who was writing a letter. Everyone was busy, and mostly with members of the opposite sex. Maybe that was what Naruto needed. But all the girls in Konoha were either taken or freaked out by him. He sighed. Then, Naruto looked up. There was the answer to his problems (not really). A hill. The perfect spot for nothing.

_On the hill…_

Naruto first sat down, then laid back. He stared at the perfect sky and watched as clouds in numerous shapes passed him by. He slowly closed his eyes. He had been asleep for nearly a minute when…

"Um, excuse me…" A small voice whispered in his ear. "Excuse me…" The voice got a little softer. It kind of soothed him. He tried to roll over, but opened his eyes to a girl lying next to him.

"GAH!" Naruto jumped up to get a good look at her. She was actually kinda pretty. Her short blond hair slightly covered her deep blue eyes. She sat there with her mouth open, staring at Naruto as if confused.

"Who…who are you?"

"Me?" The girl pointed towards herself.

"YES, YOU! You're the only one here!" Naruto was beginning to get annoyed.

"No…you're here, too. What's your name, stranger?"

"S-stranger? STRANGER! YOU'RE THE STRANGE ONE!"

"Ah," the girl said, "please don't get angry. I'm visiting here and…I'm kinda lost…"

"Really? Well, here…" Naruto extended his hand to pull the girl up. "My name is Naruto Uzamaki. I live here. I can show you around, if you'd like."

The girl smiled. "Of course! I'd love to! By the way, my name's Takara Kazuki. I can't tell you how happy it makes me that I don't have to go it alone again." By this time, they had started walking.

"Again?"

"Yeah, last time I came here, I was kinda alone," she answered. They continued walking until they got to the gate of Konoha.

"Well," Naruto said, "here we are! Now, where do you want to go first?"

"Um, let's see…" She looked around, then paused. Her eyes had fallen on a tree to the side of where they were standing.

Naruto looked around, then at the tree. "What?" he asked. "What are you looking at?"

Takara smiled. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Now, how about the Ninja Academy? I've never seen it. Last time I came here, the school year was almost over. According to someone I met, the students were in the middle of graduation exams."

"When was this?"

"Oh, only a couple of years ago…"

Naruto just stared at her. "So…you came here when…I was in the Academy…by yourself?"

"Yes…I suppose…"

"Why weren't you in school?"

Takara couldn't answer his question because immediately after he asked it, a girl with short, pink hair came up to them.

"Naruto? What are doing…who're…?"

"Ah, right! This is Takara Kazuki. Takara, this is Sakura Haruno."

Takara extended her hand. Sakura looked at it for a second. She really had been very withdrawn lately. Finally, she took the hand and shook it.

"So…" Sakura still seemed sort of reluctant, "you new here?"

"Visiting! Naruto was kind enough to show me around. I can't believe how nice people here can be!"

"Apparently, you haven't met anyone else…" Takara shook her head as Sakura laughed. At this, a girl with short blond hair and a guy with a ponytail and a bored look on his face came up to them.

"Hello, Sakura…" the girl with the blond hair gave Sakura a very nasty look. And the look was returned with an even nastier one.

"Ah…" Takara tried to intervene, but Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and said, "No, really…you don't want to do that…" The blonde turned and put a hand on her hip.

"Who's this?"

"Oh, right! Takara Kazuki, meet Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka! There ninja's, too! Shikamaru is actually a Chuunin, as a matter of fact!"

"That's really cool and all, but me and Sakura here are at the top of our class!"

"Really? And what about you, Naruto-sensei?"

"NARUTO-SENSEI!" everyone yelled, including Shikamaru.

"Well, yeah! I mean, he was kind enough to introduce me to all of you and show me around the village, so…"

"But really, Takara…Naruto-sensei?" Sakura asked. Takara laughed as she thought, I think I'm gonna like vacationing here!

_Later… _

"It was really nice of Naruto-sensei to offer to let me stay with him for awhile!" Takara said to herself as she walked around Konoha that night. Suddenly, she stopped. Something was amiss; she felt as if someone were watching her…She put her hands in the pocket at the front of the jacket Naruto had lent her. Unknown to her observer, she preformed hand signs as she walked away. A clone came up behind the figure watching her and grabbed him.

"Well, well…" Takara said, turning around. "You would think someone so devoted to watching me would have noticed someone coming up from behind him…"

"Don't start with me," barked the figure, "Just who do you think you are, anyway?"

"Oh, come now," Takara smiled, "you and I both know you know my name already…"

"Yeah, but…" Takara put a hand up to signal she wasn't finished.

"…The question is, Sasuke Uchiha, who do you think you are?"

_End of Chapter 1!_

A/N: Aha! Once again, a cliffhanger! How many of you were expecting that? That's right, so good…does a dance


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: sigh…My friend was annoyed I used first name, last name format for chapter one, so I'll use last name, first name instead…Now, let's check in on Sasuke and Takara…

_Chapter 2_

"…The question is, Uchiha Sasuke, who do you think you are?"

"You…know who I am? How is that even possible?"

Takara laughed, "You took the picture…" Perhaps she had hoped that this would lighten the mood, but Sasuke was just as tight-assed as ever.

"Look, you," he said, "I don't care who you are or where you came from. Just leave. These people have nothing to do with you…"

"Can't do that. Naruto-sensei invited me to stay with him. I already agreed; it would be rude to leave." Sasuke just sat there with his mouth agape; she had lost him at Naruto-sensei. He shook his heads once he realized where he was.

"I don't care. Just go."

"Oh, but of course you of all people would be in the business of leaving! I don't care what you say, I'm staying!" She turned and walked away, furious he would try anything on her.

_At Naruto's apartment…_

The next morning, Naruto looked up from the newspaper to stare Takara in the face. "You were gone an awful long time last night."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just there was…something I had to do…" She looked away. A ninja can read your face like an open book if they know you're lying.

"There is a bathroom here…" Takara laughed and Naruto joined her. There was no one, not even Uchiha Sasuke, who could take this moment away.

Later on, Naruto took Takara out to meet more people and see more sights. They started at Ichiraku and headed off so they could circle around the village and meet back there later to eat. As they walked, Naruto introduced her to various people and kept her up to date on things happening with them.

"See, there's Ino, Akimichi Chouji, and Shikamaru. They're on the same team, so they hang out together most of the time. Ino's really smart, but she's got sort of a temper. Chouji can eat anything you ask. But don't be fooled. He's really strong. And Shikamaru…well, Shikamaru spends most of his time either lazing around, or writing to his girlfriend, Temari…" He stopped to look around for anyone else. Then, Naruto smiled. The perfect subjects. He grabbed Takara's hand and led her over to a group of people who seemed…interesting.

A boy with a weird haircut and bushy eyebrows stood up and looked Naruto square in the eye. "Ah, Naruto!" said the guy(laugh!), "Have you come to challenge me once more?"

"No, not today…But there's someone I'd like you to meet…" He pushed Takara out in front of him and motioned her to start. She looked at him desperately, then turned to face the group.

"Um…hi.? My name is Kazuki Takara…I'm visiting…" she bowed slightly and waited. The girl of the three got up and started circling around her.

"Well…she's not that bad…she a ninja?" Naruto nodded and she continued, "Tenten…that's my name. And these two guys back here are Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji." She pointed first to the boy who spoke first, then a boy whose hair reached his back. This Neji had a look that said he was great, but Takara begged to differ. She knew who he was and she knew she could beat him. As if reading her mind, he spoke.

"So…the famed Kazuki Takara makes her appearance?" Takara stared. He knew.

"What does that mean?" Naruto turned to Neji who smiled.

"I'm surprised, Naruto. She didn't tell you? Well, know everyone can know…" He said this because all of the people Takara had met and some she hadn't had just come from all sides(there was some sort of meeting). A boy with a dog on his head came up first.

"Guys? What's going on?" He looked at Takara. "Who's she?"

"Her names Takara…" answered Sakura, but she seemed confused too. All eyes were on Takara. Neji smiled.

"Go on, Takara!" he yelled so everyone could hear. "Tell them! Tell them the truth!"

Takara started shaking. Not now, she thought, not now! Then, she had an idea. She opened the pocket-pack on her leg and cut herself with a shuriken. Neji must have believed she was about to spill the beans because his smile widened. But Takara smiled back. Suddenly, she threw the shuriken at Neji, so fast, he couldn't even dodge it. It hit him on the shoulder and panic ensued. Most everyone ran to his side and tried to help. But two people moved in the other direction. Naruto turned as Takara ran away towards the forest. He almost ran after her, but Sakura's hand on his shoulder kept him from trying to find out the truth.

_In the forest…_

pant pant

Takara's hands were on her knees. She must have run about 4 miles away before she decided to stop. She sank to the ground. Why? Why did things always happen this way?

"So you finally decided to leave…" She looked up to see Sasuke peering over her.

"What do you want?"

"A reason why you're here." He sat down in front of her and waited for an answer. Takara stared, and the longer she stared, the angrier she got.

"IT'S HIS FAULT!" she yelled as she jumped up. "It's all his fault!" She punched a tree and continued ranting as the tree crumbled behind her. Sasuke watched in amazement. "Why? Why did he have to blow my cover? Just because I'm stronger? Is he that self-centered?"

"Who?"

"That bastard Hyuuga! He knew who I was and almost told everyone!"

"Who you are?" Takara stopped. If she said anything more, Sasuke might find out.

"…my name…"

"That's not true. I remember now. Kazuki Takara. The Ele-"

"STOP! THEY…they can't know…" Takara sighed. "I came here because I thought no one knew who I was. But of course the Hyuuga prodigy would have figured it out."

"Maybe he thought the village might be in danger…"

"In danger? I'm not that reckless!"

Sasuke smiled. "I know…From someone looking for you. That's why I left…"

"…oh. You're right. But that doesn't excuse the fact that he tried to blow my cover! I wasn't ready to tell anyone. I'd only been here for a day! Besides…" she paused to look around, "I…like it here…"

"Then just go back. Believe me, they won't turn you away so quickly. Everyone there's got a secret or two…"

"But I attacked him!"

Sasuke laughed, "You think that matters? No one goes throughout their day in that village without being attacked by someone!"

"That doesn't matter," Takara stated. "The point is I screwed up. You were right, I should have never come…" Sasuke stared at her. There was no way this was the same girl from last night. Suddenly, he looked up. He could hear voices. He jumped up into the nearest tree that he wouldn't be seen in and left Takara all alone. She looked about. There was no escape.

"I think I see someone!" cried a voice that sounded very similar to Tenten's. Takara tried her best to move, but her legs wouldn't allow it. She wanted to perform a jutsu, but that would just give her away. She looked everywhere. Nothing. There was no use. So she gave up. She sat down in the middle of the clearing and waited for her doom.

"There she is!" yelled the boy from before, the boy with the dog. Takara clenched her teeth; this was it. She felt someone come up from behind her and grasp her tightly.

"You're not going anywhere," said Lee. Takara could feel the tears pouring down her face. She saw feet gather around her.

"What do we do with her?" asked Shikamaru.

"We could just turn her in…" said Ino.

"But maybe she has an explanation!" defended Sakura.

"Let her try and explain. What she did was inexcusable!" came Lee's voice behind her.

"I agree. We should do something…"

"You have no right to talk! Neji's your boyfriend; of course you'd choose his side," interrupted Sakura.

"Oh, now look who's choosing sides! Why are you defending her?"

"We have to give her a chance! At least hear what's she's got to say!"

"Well," asked Tenten. "What do you have to say?"

Takara looked up. The faces she saw were nothing like the warm, inviting faces she had first met. The tears poured faster. She hung her head and shook it. Unless she wanted to blow her cover, there was no way she would say anything.

"Ha! I knew it! Just a common criminal," Tenten spoke proudly.

"Well, let's just get it over with…" sighed Shikamaru.

"Go ahead!" cried Takara. "Go ahead, do away with me, I don't care! I've been plaguing this world for too long…You'd be doing us all a favor! I hate this! I hate being this! Take it! Take all my power, all my chakra! Divide it amongst yourselves, you deserve it! The famous Kazuki Takara has been captured, and you'll all go down in history as the ones who did it!...but…" she stopped, looking around the shocked faces. Sakura, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Lee, Tenten, Neji, the triangle boy, a quiet girl, a guy with sunglasses…

"Naruto?" she cried. She looked around. "Naruto-sensei?"

She pushed up her feet, carrying Lee with her, his grip tightening. "Let me go! Naruto?" She struggled trying to break free. Where was he? "Naruto? Naruto! Naruto, please! Lee, let me go! I'll come back! You can kill me later! Where is he?" She kicked and kicked, trying to make Lee let go, but he wouldn't unless he was told.

Everyone looked between each other, then all eyes were on Neji. He sighed.

"Let her go…"

_End of chapter 2!_

A/N:GAH! So much info for you to process! But you won't find out what happens 'til the next chapter! ;)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So, many of you are very confused…well, first of all: everyone is about 13 or 14 in this fic 'cause I kinda fixed the story line. See, in the real story, Sasuke leaves and later on everybody goes after him and then there's all kinds of stuff, then there's a 2.5 year break and blah blah blah…But that never happens here. Sasuke still leaves, but he comes back because he's done with…whatever he was doing. And no, he's not with Orochimaru, he's alone. None of the rankings were changed and…yeah…And everything with Takara will be explained in due time!

_Chapter 3_

"Let her go…" Takara stared at Neji, then ran off. She would have to thank him later. As she ran off, Tenten turned to Neji.

"So you're just gonna let her go?"

Ino stepped up. "Yeah, I mean, how can we be sure she'll come back?"

"And I want an explanation to this whole thing," said Shikamaru, apparently very annoyed not knowing something.

"Patience. I'll explain everything. And don't worry," he said turning to Tenten, "she'll be back. If she has a death wish, this is where she'll find it."

_In the village…_

Takara ran throughout the village screaming for her friend. She searched in every alley, on every street, causing people to stare as she ran.

"Naruto? Naruto-sensei? NARUTO-SENSEI!" she screamed. Where was he? Why couldn't she find him. She looked everywhere they had been. The restaurant, the Academy, the apartment, the place where…it happened…She couldn't find him. She ran and ran and ran and still…nothing. She felt the tears streaming down her face as she sunk down next to the wall.

"…why…why…why did…I even…?" she sniffed and wiped her nose on her jacket. Suddenly, she paused. This wasn't her jacket…

_Flashback…_

"Here ya go!" Naruto handed Takara the bright-orange jacket. She stared at it, then him.

"What's this for, Naruto-sensei?"

Naruto blushed at hearing that name, then answered, "Well, it's cold out, and of you got sick…" Takara smiled and jumped on him to give him a hug. This was the best gift she'd ever received.

_End of flashback, back to Takara…_

She still stared at the sleeve, tears falling onto it as she pulled it close. This, she thought, this gives me more reason to find him. She stood up with a look of justification on her face and set off again. But before that…

SLAM

"What the…" Takara looked up at the figure she had crashed into. She gasped. "Hatake Kakashi!"

_Back to the forest…_

"So, to make a long story short, she can do basically anything she wants, just as long as she doesn't draw attention to herself." Neji sighed as he caught his breath. That was a long explanation, he thought to himself.

"But what I still don't understand is why she wouldn't want to draw attention to herself. I mean, what harm could it do?" asked Ino.

Shikamaru sighed. This was so troublesome, how he had to explain everything. "How would you feel if, everywhere you went, someone was trying to kill you? How would you feel if everyone you met could possibly be the last person you'd ever meet? Or, even worse, if everyone you met could be dead the next day just because they knew you?"

"…" Ino stared at him. When he puts it that way, it's not so hard to follow…

"I just wish there was something we could do…" Sakura could only think of how alone Takara must feel as she took everything in.

"We can't," retorted Tenten. "You heard Neji: if we try to get close to her, we may become a liability, and that's no good. But, if we try to ignore her and push her away, she may just snap…"

"Doesn't sound like such a good deal to me…" said Kiba.

Lee looked around. "So what can we do?"

"The best we can do is to try our hardest to stay safe. She needs protection and who better than us? We can take care of ourselves, we're not weak. Liability, shmiability. She should have people to look out for her and be her friends," concluded Sakura.

Neji nodded. "I agree. And if that's the best we can do, to be her friend, then that's the best we can do."

"Besides," added a newly convinced Tenten, "it will be cool to have a friend that strong!" At this, she got a look from Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, Lee, and Shino. "I mean, stronger than any girl we've ever seen…" And then, she got a look from Sakura, Ino, and Hinata. And, after five seconds, she realized, I just dissed myself! She laughed, and everyone joined her. Although they had just been discussing a very grave subject, you can always find happiness in this group.

All of a sudden, a previously resting-on-Kiba's-head Akamaru jumped down and started barking. "Arf, Arf!"

"What's the matter, buddy?" asked Kiba. Then he saw it. There, out from the woods, came Naruto.

_In the village…_

"Kakashi, what're you doing here?" Takara gaped at the man standing in front of her, with his hitai-ate covering one eye(which she knew held his Sharingan), and a mask covering his mouth(concealing who knows what).

"I live here," he answered nonchalantly. He gets like that, you know? "What're you doing here?"

Takara was abruptly brought back to reality. "Naruto!" she gasped. "Where is Naruto? Have you seen Naruto?" Kakashi stared at her.

"How do…"

"Never mind!" Takara interrupted. "Have you seen him?"

"Unfortunately, no. But tell me: what are you doing here?"

Takara failed to answer his question. "What! You haven't! Where can he be?" She whirled around wildly, looking in every direction until Kakashi put his hands on her shoulders.

"Takara. Calm down. I'll help you find him, only if you answer my question."

Takara panted hard until she relaxed and spoke, "I'm…on vacation…I came here to get away from it all and found that I can never really escape who I am. Hyuuga Neji knew who I was and almost told everyone. I guess I just wasn't prepared to reveal myself so quickly. I'm sure everyone knows by now …" As she finished, her voice trailed off when she realized Neji was good at explaining things.

Kakashi was silent as he took this all in. Then, he spoke. "Well, from what I can see, you really don't have very much faith in people, now do you?"

"…no…"

"Now then, isn't that the cause of all this? If you hadn't been so mistrusting that, if Neji had spilled the beans, everyone would have turned you away, none of this would have happened."

"I suppose…But what am I supposed to do? Am I not supposed to be suspicious of others? Am I supposed to just let people walk all over me?"

"Now, I didn't say that, did I? All I said was that you at least need to give people a chance. You can't just go assuming everyone's out to get you." Takara looked at him and nodded. Kakashi was right. She'd gone through most of her life not being able to trust people, and now look where it had gotten her. Her only friend had gone missing, her possible-friends didn't trust her for crap, and she was getting lectured by someone who had just pulled out Icha Icha Paradise. What was that all about?

"All right, I see your point…But that doesn't exactly solve my problem, now does it?"

"The answer you seek is in your heart…" Kakashi said as his eye glinted, a sunset falling behind him (remind you of anyone?).

"…0.o…" Takara could think of nothing else to say.

"Ahem, anyways…What I mean is: think about it for a second. Don't do that irrational splurge thing you do…And if you really want them to be your friends, just tell them," smiled Kakashi. Takara smiled back, thanked him, and ran off. If Naruto was really her friend, and she knew he was, he'd find her.

_Back to the forest…_

"Naruto…" Everyone stared at him. He looked as if he had just woken up, dazed and confused. He swaggered over to Neji and put a hand on his shoulder.

Neji took Naruto's hand off. "Nothing a little medicine can't fix; don't worry about it." Naruto stared for a second, then took a step back. He swayed as he did so and turned to Kiba, Hinata, and Shino. Suddenly he smiled. Albeit a drunken and bemused smile, but a smile nevertheless. He turned to an empty space beside him.

"T-Takara? You…you haven't met my other friends yet, have you?" As he spoke, tears filled his eyes. "This is…Inuzuka (hic) Kiba…A-Aburame Shino…a-and…(sniff)…Hyuuga Hinata…" At this, he sunk to the ground and began to cry openly.

Everyone around him looked on with anguish. They had caused this. This was their fault, and they all accepted it(yes, everyone). But they couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't blame anyone but himself. After all, this was Naruto. Speaking of…

"N-Naruto?"

He looked up with his tear-stained face as Takara stared in horror. What was he…

"Naruto, why…" she sunk to the ground in front of him, "why're you…please, Naruto…please don't…" She put her hands on his and squeezed them tightly. He just stared at her.

For awhile, everyone present just sat there silently, not quite sure what to say. Neji was glad Takara wasn't about to give up so easily. I mean, what good would that do in a fight? Tenten, Shikamaru, Ino, and Lee all thought the same thing, but ineach theirown weird, individual ways. Sakura and Hinata were both happy to see that neither of them was mad at each other. Naruto had had enough of that lately, and they certainly didn't wish that on Takara. Kiba, Shino, and Chouji really didn't know what to think, so…And what of the ever present Sasuke? Well, holding high regard for both of them, he was just relieved they'd found each other. Then, Takara surprised them all by being the first one to speak.

"…Naruto?" he looked up at her and she took a deep breath. "I…I think it's time you…know the truth…"

_End of Chapter 3!_

A/N: Ha! I bet you thought you'd get to find out! But you didn't, so there! And don't worry. I assure you there will be romance in here, but between whom? Comment me if you think you know the pairs, and I'll tell you if you're right! I also must apologize for not updating in so long…I was really busy and…yeah…


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm sure all of my lovely fans absolutely adored the ending for chapter three…so would any of you like to know the truth?

_Chapter 4_

"…Naruto? I…I think it's time you…know the truth…" Naruto hadn't exactly been…awake, shall we say, for the past few moments; so at first, he wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about. But as soon as he figured it out, he wasn't so asleep anymore.

"The…truth?" he asked, still unsure if he even wanted to know the truth.

"Yeah…I mean, everyone else…knows…Neji told them…And so…" she looked away for a second, clenching her eyes shut. Then, she stared at him with the most unrelenting look she had ever given him. "But only…only on one condition will I tell you…P-please tell me…where did you go after I ran away?"

Naruto was taken aback. What kind of a question was that? Where did he go…Pft! Was it not her who had disappeared? Why was she so concerned anyway? But…if Naruto ever wanted to learn the truth (and I mean ever!) he would have to just go with it. "I…was…busy…"

"Oh, c'mon, Naruto-sensei, you've got to have a better answer than that! You're talking like that freakin'…" she stopped. She almost said Sasuke…and that would be bad. "Anyway…You've got to have a better answer than that!"

"And what if I don't, huh? Are we just going to go through our lives not knowing your secret?"

"Um, Naruto…We all know…" he just stared at them with that weird face he always makes, then turned to Takara.

"…I guess then…fine. I'll tell you…I was…thinking…"

Takara raised an eyebrow. "What's so secretive about that? Were you…in the bathroom or something?"

o.O

"NO! WHAT KINDA SICK, TWISTED FREAK WOULD EVEN THINK THAT! THAT IS THE SINGLE STUPIDEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD!" After this sudden…outburst…Naruto just stared at a very shocked Takara with a look of disgust. So, she replied in the only way she could have possibly replied in this situation…she added to the yelling.

"SHUT UP! I MEAN, HOW CAN YOU MAKE SUCH A BIG DEAL OUT OF THINKING! THAT'S ALL I WAS DOING TOO I SUPPOSE, SO THERE!" And after both of them fumed for awhile, they regained their composures and finally started to be serious.

"Alright, since now I finally know where you were, we can…(sigh)…get on with it…" she paused(again). Naruto looked on intently.

"Yes?" Everyone else also looked on in agony. Why was she drawing this out so long? Takara made a weird face, and then…finally began.

"Here goes…Long before the Ninja nations were formed, this land was ruled by warlords. The name tells it all. The rulers of this land challenged any country they could find. Unfortunately, they ALWAYS lost. So, they made a plan. They would create the perfect soldier to do their biding so that they could win. And…they succeeded. His name was Kai, the first prototype. He was seemingly perfect. He could use any weapon efficiently, learn any skill, and had the intelligence of the entire world all rolled up into one. In his very first battle, he defeated his opponent in five minutes. When they first sent him to war, he beat the rival army single-handedly. But…it wasn't as if he wanted to. They forced, telling him it was his purpose. However, he begged to differ. Kai knew that there was something out there bigger for him. So he tried to tell them to let him go…"

_Flashback…_

"Please! I just know this life isn't for me! Please, just let me go!"

"Are you kidding?" snickered one of the lords. "This life is why you were created! You have nothing bigger for you. This is all you have!"

Kai looked on with resolve. He wasn't about to give up yet. "Then I will just leave, with or without your permission!" He turned to leave, when…

"The moment you step out that door, a curse shall be put upon your head!"

"W-what is that supposed to mean!"

"I mean…Once you leave to find out what's out there, you will get the full extent! You will become a weak, bloodthirsty human, just like the rest of us! In other words, every time you see blood, you will not stop until you get it all. And if ever you were to make friends or fall in love, that person will become your one and only weakness, and you will die because of so!"

Kai could not speak. He looked around at the menacing faces staring at him.

"What's the matter? Scared?"

"No! I don't care what you say! This life is not for me!"

_End of flashback…_

"And so, he was cursed…No matter what he did, if someone wanted to fight him, he would have to kill them. Eventually, this drove him mad and he killed himself, so no one ever got a chance to see if the second curse actually worked. But they would, as soon as another perfect being was created. The lords needed one, and would stop at nothing to create one again. But they didn't have enough resources to make one. So, they formulated a plan. Instead of having to make one from scratch, they would just use a human child to do their bidding. Although this would take longer, they didn't mind. All they wanted was to continue on their plan for world domination. While the technique they used to possess a child was similar to the beginnings of a _kekkei genkai_, but it wasn't like that. See, so that no one could find out exactly what they were doing, the process would not go to a single family, but to any. Where the child ended up didn't matter. But what did matter was that the child didn't have ties to the outside world; no more wild "better life" stories. To do this, the lords but a secondary curse on the child: when it was born, its parents…would die."

The group was wide-eyed all around, especially for those…who knew what that felt like, to be alone. Takara took another pause, then resumed her tale.

"This would go on continuously, year after year, but the result would always be the same in the end. A soldier, or as the public began to call them, Elementals, would always find that weakness the lords had first predicted they would. Or they would just go mad from the blood. But around the time the Ninja nations arose, the Elementals found a way to keep from the danger of the blood: you see, if they drew their own blood first, the curse would be void. So, if a ninja were ever to fight an opponent that cut himself before they began, they would initially know who they were…"

"So wait…" asked Naruto. " Is it still happening? Is there still an Elemental?"

"You idiot. Why would she be telling us this if there wasn't?" Neji said wryly. Naruto was still confused. Why was Takara telling them this? Unless…

"Takara! You aren't…"

Takara nodded. "The very first female Elemental. When I was born, I had no one. No one that is, until Sensei came. She found me and trained me in every jutsu she knew! And I even taught her some! She didn't, belong to a village, but she was still the best ninja out there! When I turned 11, she sent me on a mission: 'Battle the strongest ninja from every village. Win, and gain their hitai as your prize. When you complete your mission, find me again.' And so I did…"

"But wait," Neji interrupted, "you said that you were supposed to challenge the strongest fighter from each village. Have you not come to Konoha yet?"

"Yes, I have. Why do you ask?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Because you didn't challenge any of us…"

Takara laughed. "I have to admit…when I came to Konoha, I was a bit anxious. It was my last village you see, so I just challenged the first high-ranked ninja I found. I beat him, went back to Sensei, and she said my training was over. She said that now, the only thing I would have to worry about was people who would come after me. So, I decided to hide out here until I found a permanent home. Frankly, Konoha was my favorite."

"So what did you do with all the headbands?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Suddenly, Takara disappeared. Everyone looked around wildly until she reappeared coming from the direction of the village. In her hands, a pack, a pack Naruto remembered as the one she had worn the day they had met. She sat back down in her place and opened the bag.

Everyone gasped. In the sack were about a hundred _hitai-ate_. As they each picked one out, some found bands they had never even seen before. Throughout it all, Takara sat there smiling, as if every band congratulated her on a job well done. When the commotion was over with, she nodded and looked around the group, "Any questions?"

The guy with the dog raised his hand, "Yeah, I got one. Who was the guy you faced?" Takara blinked and laughed.

"To tell you the truth, I never learned his name! But, it was a battle I will never forget…"

"Why?"

"Because. After I sent him to the hospital, one of his friends came after me and challenged me. He was one of the strongest opponents I ever had. Almost won, matter of fact…"

"And do you remember the name of this ninja?" asked Ino.

Takara smiled. "Yep! Hatake Kakashi!"

_End of Chapter 4! _

A/N: I bet you guys are tired of this…But this is my signature, so deal with it! And if you have any questions, or think you can figure out the pairs, just REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Ah…It's good to be back…Was it torture? I bet so! Then my work here is done…And now, for the story…

_Chapter 5_

"You cannot be serious!" said everyone in unison.

"Oh, I'm very serious…"

"But," interjected Lee, "Kakashi is one of the strongest ninja in the village! And you say you fought him when he was at his peak, the point at which he was most powerful!"

"Yes, that's true, but…"

"But nothing! Explain yourself! Tell us exactly what happened!" insisted Sakura.

"Well, I guess it all started as I was leaving the hospital…"

_Flashback…_

"Hey! You there! Stop where you're standing!"

Takara slowly put her hands up and turned around. "I-is there a problem?"

A man who wore his headband across one eye stood there scowling at her (or at least it seemed that way, she couldn't see his mouth). "You bet there's a problem! Have you seen any travelers wandering around?"

"You mean besides me? Nope, no one!"

The man's eye widened, then he shook his head. "No, no, you must be mistaken. I'm sure he's around here somewhere…" As the man looked around, Takara followed him persistently. After some time he stopped.

"Damn…must have missed him!"

"Why are you looking for a traveler?" asked Takara, having fun messing with this "elite" ninja.

"It's really none of your concern, but if you must know…The traveler attacked a comrade of mine and I want to take him to justice."

"Why are you so worried? I mean, the traveler did leave your friend at the hospital, so she seems nice…"

"Nonetheless, that…No, it can't be…" As the man slowly backed away, Takara nodded.

"Yes, yes, how scary…But don't be afraid, I got what I came for. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Takara stopped in mid-sentence when a kunai was thrown at her. It clipped her arm, leaving a small blood stain. Considering the amount of blood she had lost over the years, it always surprised her to see her own blood.

"You aren't going anywhere, kid! Explain yourself!"

Takara looked up from her arm and smiled. "Explain myself? Why? Your friend fought me voluntarily, so I see no reason for you to be angry…"

"You removed him of his honor! You stole his ninja headband!"

"I did not steal it; I won it fair and square! You are not justified to accuse me of anything!"

"We'll see about that!" At this, the man charged at her with all his might, but that was not enough. Takara easily dodged him and had just enough time to throw three knifes at him, repaying the favor.

"You know, it would have been more fun to battle you instead of your friend…But I suppose it can't be helped, unless…" She folded her arms and began to pace, giving the man time to try and rise.

"…Unless what?"

"Unless we battle right here, right now! It will be an all-out, winner-take-all battle! If I win, you allow me to leave this village with my prize; and if you win, I'll return the headband to your friend," Takara concluded with a smile.

"Sounds fair…"

"Oh, it is fair, trust me…Too fair, if you ask me…but before we begin, I have a process we must go through first…" She walked over to position herself directly in front of her opponent. "State your name, rank, and purpose as a ninja!"

The man nodded. "Alright…Name: Hatake Kakashi; Rank: Jounin from the village of Konoha; Purpose: To protect my fellow ninja and village from people like you!" Kakashi finished.

"Hatake Kakashi, huh...That last part was a bit harsh…My turn then! Name: Kazuki Takara; Purpose: To complete my mission and continue protecting human kind! And rank? Well, I never really received a rank, but most people address me as the Elemental!"

Kakashi gasped. This young girl was…the Elemental! Although it did explain a lot, it was still unbelievable. Well, he thought to himself, Elemental or not, she was still a threat and had to be stopped.

"You call stealing people's headbands and running away 'protecting human kind'!"

"Hey!" shouted Takara, now sounding more like the person Kakashi was accusing her to be, "You can't say anything! You know absolutely nothing about me or my cause, so just back off!"

Kakashi snickered, "Ha! All the power in the world at your fingertips, and you still act like a child…"

This did it. 'Screw honor!' she thought to herself. 'Nobody insults my cause and gets away with it!' Takara charged like a bull at Kakashi. And with that, the battle began.

_End of flashback!_

"Ah, c'mon, you're kidding me!" groaned Kiba.

"Finish the story, Takara!"

"Oh, now you don't really want to hear all the boring details, do you?"

"YES!" screamed everyone in unison.

"Could you at least tell us if you fought his Sharingan?" asked Neji.

Still aware of Sasuke, Takara smiled. "Of course I did! That's what made the battle so hard. At first, I wasn't sure what to do. It was my first time to see one in action, so I got off to a rocky start. But after a few minutes of seeing what it could do, I found a way around it."

"What did you do?"

"This!" And right before their eyes, Takara formed hand signs so fast, no one could see them. Out of the signs she performed, a small water ball began to form on the palm of her hand. She then quickly performed hand signs with her free hand, and out of that came a spray of what looked like snow, which immediately froze the water. She crushed it in her fist, then let the particles fall to the ground.

"Now, this can be done with anything, so it was easy! And unless the Sharingan can slow down time, I don't think he saw anything…"

"How did you learn how to do this?"

"I…just did it, that's all. I swear, really!" She added the last part after the group gave her an unconvinced stare.

"So what happened after that?" said Naruto, which surprised everyone because he hadn't said much in awhile.

"Basically the same thing that always happens. He collapsed from fatigue after fighting non-stop, I took him to the hospital, and that's it…"

"So what, he just never forgave you?" asked Sakura.

"Oh, he forgave me all right! After I explained to him why I did what I did, he completely understood. In fact, he said that if I ever needed anything, I could just come here. So, I figured that since I needed a vacation, I should just come here!" After finishing her sentence, Takara sighed. She hadn't talked this much in a long time. She looked up to see a strange look on Naruto's face. Was he mad, or just confused? She wished she knew…

"What…what will you do now?" Naruto asked quietly. This startled Takara, but she shrugged and replied anyway.

"I dunno, I mean…I'm still on vacation and everything, but after that…"

Suddenly, Naruto jumped. "What? You mean you're not going to stay here? I mean, you just told all of us your big secret and all!"

"Look although I try to avoid it, you guys aren't the first people to get this far. Now…" She slowly rose and put her hands on her hips before continuing, "For now, I don't even know how long I'll be staying. So, just don't think about it right now, okay?"

She extended her hand out for Naruto to grab. At first, he hesitated. But then he smiled, grabbed her hand, and nodded.

"Okay!"

_End of chapter 5!_

A/N: …And the bets for how long Takara will last with the ninja start at five days! Any takers…Oh, sorry, just getting a little pool together. You may all guess how long she'll stay in your reviews and the person closest to the real time will be e-mailed the first chapter of part 2 of the story! And trust me, it's good! So keep reading the story for clues on just how long she'll be a part of the ninja's lives!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: OMG!!! I'm so sorry!!! High school is so very stressful…but don't worry! As I was away, I had all kinds of great ideas! Enjoy chapter 6!

Chapter 6 

"Where does this go?" Takara asked, bowl in hand.

"Ha! Just put it in the cabinet!" Naruto laughed at Takara's lack of experience in the kitchen. You would think after almost a month…

Takara smiled, put the bowl up, then suddenly stopped.

"Something wrong, _kiddo_?" Naruto smiled in spite of himself (he just loved calling her by her pet-name).

"Naruto-sensei…I…have…a secret…" she whispered the last part.

"Secret? What kind?"

"The kind…where if I don't tell someone…I'll explode!" her voice shook as she spoke.

Naruto grabbed her by the shoulders. The last time he had seen her so afraid… "Takara," he said, "you can tell me anything, you know that right?"

She looked up with tear-stained eyes and shifted them to the frame on the cabinet. She lifted his hands off her shoulders and picked up the frame. "Do you miss him?" she asked.

"GASP…" Naruto's eyes widened. Although they had managed to stay off the subject for so long, she had to bring it up sometime. He turned away. "Of course…how could I not?"

"What…what would you do…sniff…if you…saw him again?" There was a pause. She closed her eyes and held the frame to her heart.

"No…no it…it can't…"

"Please forgive me!" Takara dropped to her hands and feet. She pleaded and pleaded for forgiveness, but nothing gave.

"I can't believe you kept this from me! Get out of my house! I never want to see you again!"

Tears streamed down both of their faces. "I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry…"

"Sorry about what?"

"GASP!" Takara awoke in a sweat. This was the second time she had had that dream.

"Ah! Um…I'm just sorry for causing you so much trouble, Naruto-sensei!" Takara laughed nervously.

Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head. "You know…sometimes I worry about you, _kiddo_!"

Takara laughed, but inside she thought, 'That was just too close…'

An hour later… 

"Let's see…milk…ramen…pork…ramen…tea mix…ramen…Hmmm," Takara stopped. "I'm beginning to see a pattern in your grocery list, Naruto-sensei…"

Takara happily collected the items and was ready to return home when she got an idea. "Ah!" she cried. "I should see my friend in the forest!" She put the items in her bag and hurried off.

When she got to the forest, she laughed an evil laugh. 'Hehehe…' she thought. 'I'll get you back for my dream, Sasuke…'

"Sasuke-chan! Oh Sasuke-chan!"

A shadowy figure leapt down from the trees. "What?" answered an angry Sasuke.

"AHA!" Takara cried with a pointed finger.

Sasuke almost fell over in shock. "WHAT?!"

"You answered to me calling you that, so that's your new name, Sasuke-chan!" Takara began rolling on the floor in complete and utter victory laughter.

Sasuke blushed at realizing his folly. "Is that really necessary?"

"Why yes," stated a newly serene Takara, "yes it is."

Sasuke shook it off for now. He asked, " So why are you here, anyway?"

Takara had a serious look on her face and turned away. "The same reason I came last time…"

Sasuke realized what she was talking about and looked away, ashamed. "I'm…I'm so sorry…"

"I know," Takara replied. "I know…"

Somewhere else… 

"Gah! Where is that kid with my groceries? I'm freakin' starving!" Naruto stalked around town looking for his missing groceries until he found Ichiraku. His mouth drooled, but then he remembered…

_Flashback…_

"Here's some money for the groceries!" Naruto handed over his wallet.

"But…There won't be any left!" Takara cried.

"Don't worry! If I have my groceries, I'm just fine! Hahaha!"

_End of flashback… _

"Oh man…TT…" Naruto moaned. Suddenly, he heard one of the loudest laughs he had ever heard coming from the forest.

"Huh? What's going on over there? Food can wait; this could be fun!"

As Naruto ran towards the woods, he sensed something strange. It was so weird, and yet so…familiar…And then…

"Sasuke?"

Two terrified faces stared at an even more terrified face. "Naruto-sensei…I…"

"Takara…you…"

"Naruto. It's…it's not what you think…"

"Well, what do I think?! You think I think you came back without telling anyone? You think I think you two have been hiding this from me from the beginning? You think I think that every free moment you had," he pointed to Takara who started, "you came to see him?"

"Uh…I guess it is what you think…Except for that last thing! Naruto, this is my fault, I asked her to keep this a secret. She didn't do anything!" Sasuke pleaded.

Naruto took a step back. "You…you…lied…I…I don't …believe…this…"

"N-Naruto-sensei…" She tried to reach out, but he slapped her hand away.

"Get…get away from me…"

Sasuke jumped in between them. "Naruto, please…please be mad at me, not her…She didn't do anything!"

Naruto shook his head. "No, you're wrong!"

"Naruto…" Sasuke remembered the last time Takara and he had spoken…

Flashback… 

Takara sat making shapes in the dirt with a stick. Sasuke looked down at her from where he was sitting. "So, uh…how are things?"

"Hm…BWAHAHAHAHA!" Takara began cracking up and grabbed her stomach as if in pain.

"W-what?"

"N-nothing, it's just…the way you said that…and that look on your face…priceless!"

Sasuke smiled weakly. "You still haven't answered my question…"

"Things are…great! Naruto-sensei and I have been doing all kinds off things together! We went to the park, to train with the others, he's been making me feel right at home!"

Takara looked up to see a handsome face looking down at her. "You know, Sasuke…You and Naruto-sensei are very similar…"

"How so?"

Takara giggled. "You both look fantastic without your headbands on!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. He had forgotten. "I…" He tried to look away, but she caught him too fast.

"Is it really…that hard to talk about?" Takara asked.

"I…I just don't know if I can go back…"

"Of course you can!" Takara jumped. Sasuke was startled. She looked away. "It's just…if you're not there…Naruto-sensei will continue to be sad…" She began to cry.

Sasuke sighed. "Please…I'll…I'll keep trying…"

Takara looked up to see Sasuke smiling. She smiled right on back.

"Okay!"

End of flashback… 

"Naruto, please…Just…just be mad at me…"

Naruto's hands shook; Sasuke's did, too. Takara saw this and stood next to them. Her left hand went to Sasuke's right, her right to Naruto's left. She put their hands together, tears falling from her face.

"This…" she began, "this is what I wanted all along. You two…As I've been near the both of you, I've seen that your strength comes from each other. Sasuke, you strive to be stronger than your brother who wishes to take away Naruto-sensei's power; therefore, you wish to beat Naruto. That's what drives you. And Naruto-sensei has always wanted to be acknowledged by his fellow ninja. By seeing how much attention Sasuke-chan gets (N: Sasuke-chan?), he wants to be better. That's what drives Naruto-sensei…

"So, if the two of you continue to be apart, you will not reach your full potential. And this led me to the conclusion to try and push the two of you together again. Although…this is definitely different than I had pictured," she paused. What was she accomplishing by ranting like this?

"Takara…you know, it amazes me at how mature you are. You're no older than us, and yet the three of us act so different," Naruto laughed. "You…have no idea how right you are. I'm sorry…I've been acting like an idiot…"

"Well," Sasuke cut in, "you are one…"

"What?! You take that back, you jerk!"

"Look who's talking!"

Takara looked on in amazement. What had been a somber scene but a few minutes ago now had Sasuke and Naruto acting like their old selves again. This made her laugh.

"Thank you! You two are so amazing!"

Naruto and Sasuke stopped and smiled. "I know," they said in unison.

"Huh? Why you…" Naruto yelled and they began fighting again. But that was exactly what Takara wanted.

End of chapter 6!! 

A/N: Oh, my! I amaze myself sometimes…Well, chapter seven will be up in about a week, so keep watchin'! Bye-bye!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Anyone else notice how in the last two chapters, their was a skip after the cliffhangers? Well, all that's about to change…this one starts where chapter 6 left off!

Chapter 7

"So…uh…now what do we do?" Naruto asked. Takara and Sasuke had just finished explaining everything and, after a long pause for comprehension, Naruto was thinking of the future.

"Well, first we need to speak with the Hokage. Straighten everything out. After we explain it all and she understands, we can worry about the hard part," Takara concluded, nodding in agreement with herself.

"You think trying to reason with Old Lady Tsunade isn't the hard part?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hm…I was referring to trying to get the rest of the village on your side…I've been here for almost a month and I still feel they don't trust me…" Takara smiled.

Sasuke laughed. "And by 'they', you mean Neji, right?"

"No, seriously, does the Sharingan allow you to read minds or what? 'Cuz I know a coupla' people who have like tele…tele…tele-whatever powers and it freaks me out!" Takara joked, crossing her arms and pouting. Or Naruto thought it was a joke(he was laughing in agreement). Sasuke was pretty sure Takara was serious.

"But," Sasuke agreed, "you are right. It won't be easy."

"Yeah, I know one person that'll be really mad…" Takara looked curiously between a blushing Sasuke and a chuckling Naruto.

"But, who…GASP!" It took awhile, but Takara eventually realized, and she smiled slyly.

"N-no, d-don't s-s-say it…" Sasuke pleaded nervously, madly waving his arms and shaking his head.

"Sakura-san.? I'm right, aren't I?" Takara asked happily, clapping her hands together and laughing.

"Yeah, this jerk only said bye to her, if you can even call that a goodbye…"

"Naruto…" Sasuke said angrily, shaking his fist.

Suddenly, Takara clapped once. This startled the boys, but not as much as the serious look on her face. "All right!" she exclaimed, thrusting her finger toward the village. "To…the Hokage's office!!"

_Eventually…_

"Well, well…what do we have here?" asked a smiling Tsunade when Naruto, Takara, and a shrouded figure entered her office.

Takara bowed, as did the figure, but Naruto slammed his hands down on her desk. "We…have a situation! So cut it with all these formalities; this is an EMERGENCY!!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Naruto…Now. Calmly explain."

Naruto took a deep breath, let it out, then began…

"…And please! You realize everything I have just told you, I have avoided using this person's name. But you do know who it is, so I suggest you do the same (whoa, rhyme…)." After a very fast, very lengthy explanation (yeah, like I'm really gonna repeat what ya'll already know), Naruto was gasping for breath. Damn, he thought, how did Takara do this?

"All right, so let me get this straight," Tsunade began. "This guy here (she pointed to the shrouded figure) is a former ninja of Konoha…" here, she paused so that Takara and Naruto could nod. Then, she continued. "And you say he wants to come back (another pause) because he has righted most of the wrongs he has committed and allowing him to come back would only open the doorway to new good deeds? Well…"

Naruto, Takara, and the figure stood with baited breath. Finally, Tsunade spoke again. "Let me ask you this, Sasuke, how do I know I can trust you?"

Takara ran to the curtains and closed them. Naruto locked the door and placed some spare paper into the bottom hole to close it up. The figure looked around suspiciously, then lifted his hood to reveal…Sasuke, of course!

"Was that really necessary?"

The three nodded and simultaneously recited, "No precaution is too great!" This robotic statement (and its initiation) startled the trio, leaving them speechless, until…

Sasuke shook his head to try and break the awkward silence. "You can trust me. Otherwise, I would have done something by now."

"A-admitting one's previous flaws!" Takara cut in. "A true sign of recovery!" (N: Yeah, recovery from crazy bastard syndrome.)

Sasuke pushed Takara away as he said, "As I was saying…I promise. You can trust me. Because there's nothing I want more…" he paused for a moment. Takara watched him with worried eyes. Abruptly, he jerked back up and with a look of determination on his face cried, "There's nothing I want more…than to be a member of this village again!"

Everyone was shocked, but only Takara understood. Sasuke had believed what she had said in the forest, and this made her smile. She truly had accomplished her goal. 'It's…all over, now…' she thought sadly.

"Hm…so, you really have changed. That was the first look of healthy resolve you have ever given me. But you know…it's not really up to me. Technically, I can give you back your ranking. Unfortunately, the fate of you truly becoming a member of this village lies within the village itself."

"So…" Sasuke's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you'll…"

Tsunade nodded, and Sasuke smiled, tears welling up in his eyes.

"T-thank you…"

Takara and Naruto both jumped, yelling happy celebration to the heavens. Like "Yes!" and "All right!" and "Woohoo!" But the celebration didn't last long. As soon as Tsunade was finished filling out the reinstatement papers (which, mind, took awhile), the biggest obstacle was all that remained.

The three stood before the door of Tsunade's office, the door to their futures, the door to…

"Would you three get out of my office, for Christ sake?!"

The three turned and yelled, "Hold your horses!" Then, they all took hands (Takara in the middle, of course), gulped, and opened the door.

_Somewhere else…_

Sakura sat on the steps of the place where she, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke had sat their first day as a true ninja unit. She twirled her hair on her finger, then looked up to the sky. 'The clouds are beautiful today,' she thought to herself. Who else could she think to, after all?

All of the sudden, a smiling face appeared in her view. "Hello!" Kakashi said cheerfully.

Sakura jumped. "Ah! Sensei! Please, don't do that! You scared the heck out of me!"

Kakashi's mood changed from cheerful to serious as he also looked up at the sky. "Memories…like a drug, right?" he asked.

Sakura hung her head and nodded. Then, all of the sudden, she felt…something she hadn't…in a while…was it…

Kakashi's head perked up. "You feel it, too?"

"It's weird," she answered. "I could've sworn…"

"Sakura-chan!" came a yell. "Sakura-san! Kakashi!" came a following yell.

Teacher and student turned to see Naruto and Takara smiling happily, but nervously close to one another, as if hiding something.

"Hi, guys!" Sakura called suspiciously. What were they up to? "Come on over!"

They looked at one another, then shifted their eyes behind them. They seemed to be talking to someone. This perplexed Sakura, but Kakashi knew exactly what was happening.

"Uh…" Takara began. "Maybe, uh…maybe you should…come over here!"

"Why?"

Now Naruto spoke up. "B-because! We, uh…have, uh…a surprise for you two! Yeah, that's it, a surprise!"

"Naruto-sensei!" Takara hissed nervously to him. Subsequently, she regained her composure and laughed, "AhHahaha! I mean, uh…"

"It's ok, you two…" A voice came from behind them; they turned and stepped aside. Out from the shadows came none other than Sasuke, with the only change of having a new ninja band on his forehead. "It's time…I stand up and stop being afraid." Then, he did a strange thing. He stepped in front of a stunned Kakashi and Sakura and said…

"Hello, my name is Uchiha Sasuke. I have hurt you in the past, and I was wrong. Please (here, he bows) forgive me…"

End of chapter 7! 

A/N: Holy hell…And that people is what we in the writing world call "THE MOTHER OF ALL CLIFFHANGERS!!!" That's right, and all of that was done in, like, 5 minutes! I mean, I don't mean to toot my own horn but…Hell YEAH!!! That was freakin' SWEET!!!…ahem…sorry about that…Anybody got any therapy coupons?…Anybody?!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I've been really busy lately, and I apologize. But now that vacation has started, perhaps we can get the ball rolling…Oh, and from now on, there will be spoilers for those of you who haven't gotten past episode 100 in the anime, so be on your toes. If you read something you didn't know, STOP READING!!!

Chapter 8 

"W-what?" Sakura stammered. "B-but how? I…"

All of the sudden, Kakashi grabbed Sasuke by the collar and lifted him off the ground. "Just what do you think you're trying to pull, huh? Who are you?"

"I-it's me…let go!" Sasuke struggled to explain while also struggling to break free.

"That's right!" Sakura exclaimed, seeing where Kakashi was going with this. "There's no way you could be the real Sasuke-kun! He would never talk like that!"

"No, Sakura, it's true!" Takara cried. "Kakashi, it really is him!"

Kakashi turned and looked into Sasuke's eyes. They were different somehow. Different from before he left, even different from before the massacre. They held an innocence that can only be brought upon from a change of heart. He lowered Sasuke back to the ground. "How…how can it be?" Kakashi asked in amazement.

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know. It all started when I was at the edge of the Sound village…"

_Flashback…_

Sasuke stood very still. His heart pounded. Was he ready?

"No! No, you're not ready!" came a voice from behind him.

Sasuke turned. It was him, only younger. The smaller version of himself spoke again, "How can you just turn your back on your home?!"

"What the…How is this happening?" Sasuke whirled around wildly. "Is this some sort of trick?!"

"I've been keeping quiet for too long! It's time I take you home…" the little Sasuke grabbed our Sasuke's arm. Sasuke tried to pull back, but the kid was strong.

"Now wait just a minute, kid…" a deep, scary voice came from Sasuke's other side. A cold, clammy hand had taken a hold of Sasuke's opposite arm. He turned, and saw something he hadn't seen in a long time. It was another Sasuke, but this time it was a manifestation of the monster that had come out during his big fight with Naruto. Sasuke hadn't realized: this thing was really scary. "Now come, Sasuke, this is where you belong," the monster pointed in the direction of the village.

"No! I won't let you take him!" yelled little Sasuke. "Sasuke, don't turn your back on the Uchiha clan! Don't turn your back on what's on your back!"

"Sasuke, listen to me…Those people back there…they're holding you back. This is the only way for you to achieve power…"

"That's a lie! You and Orochimaru are blinding him! He's actually become stronger because of them. There's someone to push him, someone to encourage him, someone to love him…He's got everything he needs back there and nothing he needs where you're trying to take him!" Sasuke stared at the mini-Sasuke. Could all this be true?

"We," the scary Sasuke retorted slyly, "can offer him power the easy way…There will be no need for foolish friends, useless emotions, and it will be quicker. He could be an old man before he gets all the power we're offering."

The little Sasuke was taken aback. But he quickly recovered by crying, "Yeah, well there's also the possibility that he could be twice as strong!"

"But that's just it!" yelled normal Sasuke. "There's that uncertainty! I…I can't take that risk…" He slowly turned toward the monster that was him.

The little Sasuke hung his head. "You…you don't deserve to wear that symbol, then…"

Sasuke whirled around. "What?!"

"T-that symbol," the undersized Sasuke whimpered, "stands for the courage and bravery of the Uchiha clan. You obviously have neither! So…when you get to that new home of yours, take it off because you don't deserve to wear it!"

The moment that followed resulted in an absolute change in Uchiha Sasuke. Had he gone to Otogakure, the mini-Sasuke entity would have slowly leaked out, leaving him almost completely consumed by the scary Sasuke entity. There may never have been a chance to turn him back. But because he freaked out…

"WHAT?!" Sasuke pushed off the hand of the scary Sasuke, allowing it to slip into the darkness. "How can you even say that? Everything I've done so far has been for the Uchiha clan! To get revenge on my brother for what he did…That's what I live for!"

"What kinda logic is that?! How disgraceful! To live with such a dishonorable goal!"

Sasuke gasped. Was the kid right? Could his goal really be putting shame on the Uchiha clan? "Oh, man…I…I can't believe this…" He lowered himself to the ground, unable to stand any longer.

"Well, at least you finally understand," shrugged the little Uchiha. Sasuke didn't remember being so smart when he was eight.

"S-so…what do I do?" Sasuke asked.

"Hmm…Maybe you should start by just heading in the other direction. Baby steps, you know? You don't have to even go back into the village yet, just lay low until you're ready."

"R-ready?"

The small Sasuke sighed, "Ready to start over and apologize to everyone you hurt, including the clan."

"How do I do that?" Sasuke was beginning to think this was going to be hard.

"By upholding what it means to be an Uchiha. To be noble, honest, brave, strong, loyal, true, but most of all, and I don't care how bad it sounds now…"

"Just tell me all ready!"

Mini-Sasuke smiled, "Be open and compassionate! You know how everyone's got his or her weaknesses, right? For example, when it comes to intelligence, between you and Naruto, there's no contest. But he does have something you don't: an open mind and a compassionate spirit. Why do you think he cares so much about things?"

"Hey!" Sasuke retorted. "I'm very compassionate! I won't stop until I accomplish my goal!"

"With a goal like that, your so called 'compassion' turns to stubborn stupidity!"

Sasuke shook his head and buried it in his hands. "Look, I'm sorry…I'm just…new at this, you know? And this is all happening so fast…I just don't know…"

"Hey, I understand. Big changes aren't easy. It's gonna take a long time for all of this to really sink in. You might even find yourself getting a little defensive, and that's okay," the little Sasuke paused and put a hand on our Sasuke's shoulder. "Baby steps, remember, baby steps."

_End of flashback…_

Everyone's full attention was on Sasuke. Naruto and Takara hadn't even heard that part yet. But in her mind, something else was bothering Takara. Sasuke had said "his big fight with Naruto." What exactly did that mean?

Sakura was the first one to speak. "You mean…this is real? What's happening right now…it's all real?" She was really just trying to reassure herself, but Sasuke stepped in and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I swear, if I could have come sooner, I would have. But…" he paused for a moment and looked away. Then he smiled and continued, "I was just too scared."

Sakura gasped. He…he had never admitted to being scared before… "You…you really have changed!"

Sasuke laughed, "Yeah and it's mostly thanks to these two I was finally able to come out…"

Takara and Naruto both jumped and blushed. "Well, no…" Naruto laughed, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I-it was mostly Takara!"

"D-don't be silly, Naruto-sensei! Why, all those times I would talk to Sasuke about you really pushed him…"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Sakura yelled and got right up in Takara's face. "You knew he was out there and didn't say anything?!"

"W-well, I p-promised him I wouldn't!"

Sakura growled and hit Naruto on the head. "And I suppose you knew all about this, didn't you?!"

"N-no! I just found out today!!"

"O-oh! S-sorry!" Sakura laughed apologetically.

"So," Kakashi cut into the madness. "What will you do now? It seems you've already been re-instated, so what more is there?"

Sasuke turned and hung his head a little. "Well, I better start apologizing. There are a lot of people I hurt…" he turned to leave. "I'll see you guys later."

"Goodbye Sasuke-kun!" Sakura waved, but didn't smile. "Do you…do you think this will all be all right? I mean, you can't change the past…"

"No, you can't," Kakashi began. "But he has the right idea. At least now he's finally thinking like he should. He's taking a different approach to his goals and starting over. If that's not the way to change, then I don't know what is…But there's one thing I want to know: He apologized to Sakura and me, but did he apologize to you, Naruto?"

"Yeah, he did…" Takara answered for him.

"No, I don't think you understand, Takara. He may have apologized for leaving, but did he apologize for what he did before leaving?"

Takara gasped. This was it, wasn't it? She saw Naruto turn away and shake his head no. "All right. Enough secrecy. Tell me: what happened?"

End of chapter 8!!

A/N: Okay, so Takara doesn't know about the nine-tails yet, okay folks? Somebody didn't think it right to tell her just yet, even after she told him all about the Elemental thing…Geez, the nerve of some people. And, I noticed that sometimes I use really big words…Maybe I should stop, because when I read my fics, it seems kinda stupid…OH! And does anyone wanna see Worst Place to Try and be Normal fan art?


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Did anyone realize that I wouldn't update until I got more than one review? There were 32 hits and only two reviews. Guys, I'm thinking of just quitting, so please review or I'll just end it here. I have to hurry up and put up my Shippuden part of the fic before it can't fit anymore, so I could just skip this part…

Chapter 9

Naruto avoided Takara's eyes. "I…can't…"

"And why is that?! I told you all about my past and you've barely told me anything!"

"You…you don't understand…if I told you, you would hate us…"

Takara was getting impatient. She didn't like it when things weren't fair. "Fine! If you won't tell me…" she paused to performed a series of hand seals, "then I'll just have to take initiative! _Nou Tansaku no Jutsu_: Memory Exploration Technique!"

She then placed her hands on either side of his head, closed her eyes, and searched. The _jutsu_ allowed her to watch all of his memories like a movie, and he couldn't stop her. She saw everything: from his birth to this very moment, every detail was described, everything he had ever seen or heard, and some things he hadn't.

When the procedure was complete, she opened her eyes abruptly and pulled her hands away. As he opened his eyes and looked into hers, he knew. And he turned and ran.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, outstretching her hand. "There, now you know! Are you…?"

Sakura would have finished her sentence, but she saw tears welling up in Takara's eyes. One of the world's most powerful_ shinobi_ sank to her knees and began to cry openly. Kakashi came over and put his hand on her shoulder. "You see? They've both had hard lives, just like you…"

Takara looked up with her tear-stained face and smiled. "Yeah! Isn't it great?"

On the other side of town… 

Sasuke stood leaning against a wall, his face bloody, his clothes torn, his spirit weary. Had he known apologizing would be this hard, he would've taken someone with him.

"What happened to you?"

Sasuke turned to see Naruto with a small smile on his face. He returned the smile and asked, "Naruto! What're you doing here?"

Naruto walked over to him and sat down. "She knows all about the two of us now…"

Sasuke dropped down next to him with a scared look on his face. "So…s-so what do we do now?"

"I don't know…"

"Where is she?" Sasuke asked.

"Probably out looking for me…I don't even know how she reacted to the whole thing. I couldn't stay long enough to find out.

Sasuke was determined to make his friend feel better. "Hey! Don't worry about it! I'm sure…Hmm…Heh…"

Naruto turned to see Sasuke laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You and me! We're like opposites now! You're the sad one and I'm trying to make you see the bright side of this!"

Naruto laughed, "You're right! So, you never told me what happened to you." He stood up and extended his hand.

Sasuke smiled and got up with him. "Long story short: Although everyone forgives me, they wouldn't let me go easy…"

The two laughed and walked with each other. Right now, their worries didn't seem so important.

Later that night… 

Sasuke had decided to take Naruto home. If anything should happen between him and his roommate, Sasuke wanted to be able to help. Naruto slowly opened the door, fearful of its contents…

"Ta-Takara? I'm…home…?" He looked around at the strange site in front of him.

"I-I thought you said she'd be mad!" Sasuke said in amazement.

There, in front of them, was an impromptu party, with food, a banner saying "Thank You!", and what looked like gifts addressed to Naruto and Sasuke. And there, standing amidst all of that was Takara, wearing a party ribbon in her hair and a smile on her face.

"You're home!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around them. "Welcome! Please, sit down, eat enjoy yourselves. Oh! And I have presents for you two! Here, open them!"

The boys exchanged concerned looks. Could all of this be real or just a mask of Takara's true feelings?

"Takara…are you sure you're okay?" Naruto asked as she moved around to sit across from them.

She looked puzzled at first, but soon began started to laugh. "Of course I am…I…to tell you the truth, I've never been happier!"

The two gasped. "What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, today I found out that Naruto-sensei and Sasuke-chan are holding great powers within them…I…" she turned away for a second, but turned quickly and stared them in the face, "I never knew that there was someone out there like me, let alone TWO someones!"

"To find out that two people I have become close to are both hiding a secret that sets them apart from everyone else…I never dreamed I wouldn't have to be alone any more! Thank you so much, Naruto-sensei…for letting me know that there are people out there that are just as scared as I am…"

Tears fell down the faces of the three party guests, but before long, Naruto sniffed up his sorrow and picked up his present. "Well then, let's see whatcha got me, kid!"

Naruto opened the small packaged and saw what was inside. He couldn't help it…he had to cry again…Sasuke opened his package as well, and his rough exterior could not prepare him for the gift's contents.

Inside each was a piece of paper. And on that paper was a drawing: the three of them were standing in the city, holding hands, with hundreds of people smiling behind them, including Sakura and Kakashi. At the top of the paper was the title saying, "One day…" But perhaps the saddest part was the labels placed over their heads: the kanji for Naru-sensei, Sasu-chan, and "unworthy".

"A ninja must never reveal his emotions." Although this is a key principle to the ninja way, the two just couldn't take it; their bodies wouldn't allow it. They both scooted around the table and threw their arms around the weird and wonderful girl. Hey, at least they were in private…

_The next day…_

"A-a mission?!"

"You can't be serious!"

"I'm very serious, Sakura…" Kakashi answered.

"But we can't just…" Sasuke pleaded.

"No, really, it's all right!" Takara assured. "I really don't mind! It's your job. All I have to say is: Do your village proud and stay safe!"

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances, but nodded anyway. Naruto couldn't look her in the face. After hearing her say that, there was no way he could protest now. And so the team went, Takara waving happily behind them.

_The next day…_

Takara woke up the next morning on her cot to a bright sun. She had never been able to tell what time it was (Naruto-sensei insisted on not keeping a clock in his house for some reason). She hadn't really planned on what she would do today, so she just played it by ear. She got up, brushed her teeth, put on her green tank top and brown pants, and set out to the morning.

The first thing she happened upon was Team 8, or rather Hinata, Shino, and Kiba. "Good morning," she said happily.

"G-good morning, Takara-san…" Hinata smiled weakly.

"What are you doing here by yourself?" Kiba asked sociably (he was trying to make up for his previous behavior). "That idiot isn't putting you to work, is he?"

"N-No! Of…of course not! He's just...away on a mission, that's all. It's all right…I'm fine." She had included this last sentence because Hinata and Kiba had exchanged worried looks.

"…It doesn't seem like you're fine…"

Takara was taken aback. She couldn't remember if she'd ever heard Shino speak before. But she shook it off and answered, "No, really. It's their job. Even if I had objections, they wouldn't be justified."

"Hmm…I-I guess you're right…J-just let us know if you need anything…"

"I promise. You won't have to worry about that!" She winked and walked in the opposite direction. Why were all the people in this village all so worried about her being alone? It wasn't if she'd never been…

"UMPH!" Takara's deep thinking caused her to run into a tree: a tree that just happened to be part of the outside ring of the training grounds. And here she found four people hard at work: Neji, Tenten, Lee, and someone who was obviously their _sensei_ and who looked very familiar.

"Ah! Well, who is this lovely lady who has just graced our presence? No doubt a friend of yours, eh Lee?" the man stated loudly.

"Well, kinda…Actually, I just sorta stumbled in here. Sorry for intruding on your…"

"Nonsense!" the man interrupted. "I am the gorgeous and most honorable Maito Gai, and nothing you could do, young lady, could ever be a nuisance!"

"Oh, Gai-sensei! You are the epitome of cool!" Lee shouted and cried at the same time, marveling at his master's brilliance.

Takara was very confused, until Neji appeared by her side and explained, "They get like this a lot. You get used to it, so don't worry…"

Takara smiled and said apologetically, "So sorry again for getting in the way, again. I was just…observing nature!"

"Yeah, we saw!" Tenten laughed. "But really, it's okay…what are you doing out here by yourself anyway, Takara?"

"Takara! A true "treasure" if I might say ('Takara' means 'treasure' in Japanese)…"

"Well, you see," it was Takara's turn to interrupt, "Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura-san are on a mission, and of course they couldn't take me with them…"

"Why not?" Even Gai and Lee had stopped inflating (they had been talking the whole time about Lee's ability to 'pick 'em') to listen to what she had to say.

"Well, because I'm technically not a _shinobi_, no matter how strong I am. I never attended an Academy nor received proper training. I'm not qualified to go on missions for any village; besides, I would just get in the way."

Tears were welling up in the eyes of Tenten, Lee and Gai when she was done; even Neji seemed upset. After all, they had never even thought about what it would be like to grow up not attending the Ninja Academy…

Takara waved her hands in front of her face regretfully. "N-no! It's-It's all right! I really don't mind! Staying here is just fine for me! Anyway, I should get going, it's getting late and I'm getting hungry!"

She turned to leave and waved goodbye behind her when she heard Neji say, "Hey, I'm sorry, okay? For before…" Takara turned and smiled.

"I'm sorry, too. So now we're even! See you around."

"Hey, if need anything, let us know, okay?" she heard Tenten say.

"I promise I won't!"

_Now it's night…_

Takara sat at Ichiraku stirring her ramen in every different direction. Something was bothering her: why was everyone so concerned about her? It wasn't as if she was some helpless, little girl who needed constant protection…

"Miss, are you alright?" Takara looked up to see the waitress looking at her with a worried look on her face. Takara had heard before her name was Ayame.

"Yes, I guess I just wasn't that hungry…"

"But that's only your third bowl!"

Takara laughed, "Yeah, I'm sorry…here. The tab and something extra for you. See ya around!" She got up to leave and as she walked away she heard, "Poor kid. Why would Naruto-kun just leave her here?"

Takara walked the streets wondering what everyone was doing. What kind of mission were they on? Was it dangerous? She gasped. Would they make it back alive? She continued to speculate until she heard a booming voice say, "MORE PLEASE!"

She turned to see Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru and who appeared to be their _sensei _enjoying a meal at a restaurant. "Hello, everyone," she said. "I haven't seen you in awhile…"

Ino turned and smiled, " Well of course not! We've been on a mission. We're celebrating!"

"Great! You guys should be very proud of yourselves!"

"We are!" Chouji laughed. "MORE PLEASE!"

"So…what are you doing out here? Waiting for someone?" Ino asked playfully.

"No, I just finished eating. I'm heading home in a bit…"

"What?" Shikamaru asked. "You're out here alone…"

"Yeah, didn't you here?" the man asked. By what she had heard (and the cigarette in his hand), she guessed he was Asuma. "Those three went on their first mission together since they were apart today."

"What?!" Ino yelled, standing up in outrage. "And they just left her here?"

"No, really, it's all right! I…I better get going…"

"Oh, well…fine. But you call for us if you need anything!"

She nodded and hurried away. When she got home, she pulled out a scroll and began writing to her _sensei_. If people she had only met a month ago were so worried about her, then the woman who raised her must be really worried. She wrote where she was and how she was doing and how she would be coming home soon. She called for a post bird and sent it on its way, hoping that she would get a reply before Naruto got home.

_The next day…_

Takara had gotten her wish when the reply had come early the next morning. She had even gotten the answer she had wanted. All of the sudden, she heard the door swing open and felt a force tackle her to the ground.

"KID! I've missed you so much! I came home as soon as I could to make sure you were okay! But don't worry. You, me, Sasuke and Sakura will all go out tonight to celebrate my return!"

"Okay…But there's something I need to tell you…"

Naruto looked at her with troubled eyes. "What? What is it?"

"Not now. But I will tonight. I promise."

_Later that evening…_

Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were all waiting when Naruto and Takara arrived.

"Fifteen minutes late?" Sakura asked angrily. "Is that really how we celebrate?"

"Sorry! I was just…" Naruto trailed off. He couldn't tell them he was worried about what Takara was hiding.

"Well, now that we're all here, there's something I need to tell you," Kakashi stated. Naruto was shocked. Could he really handle all of this in one night?

"I've just been informed that we've been accepted to be the escorts of a princess. It's an A-ranked mission. Can you guys handle it?"

"You bet we can!" Sasuke yelled. "This is exactly what I've been waiting for!"

Kakashi smiled, "I thought you'd say that. But I've also been told that one of the people sitting here will be going on a special mission while we're away…"

He looked over at Takara who nodded. "Yeah, okay…"

"What?" Naruto asked. "What kind of mission?"

"I can't tell you…but I promise: once your mission is done, you'll know."

"We leave in a week. That way, you guys will have plenty of time to sort everything out."

Naruto was still nervous. What kind of mission could she have?

_A week later…_

"What…is that? A stick?" Sasuke looked in bewilderment at the weapon on Takara's back.

"It's a staff, you idiot! And if you don't shut up, I'll gladly demonstrate it for you!"

"I wouldn't," Kakashi stated. "That thing is possessed or something…"

Sasuke glanced over and thought he saw it grin at him. "I-I'll take your word for it…"

"Well, see you guys around! Be safe!" And she turned and went in the opposite direction.

"Yeah," Naruto said nervously. "You too…"

End of chapter 9!

A/N: Whew! This is by far the longest thing I have ever written! Anywho, please review you guys! The next chapter will be just as long, but twice as important! If this one doesn't go up, the rest will be very confusing…


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: So, I suppose this is it. This is the chapter you have been waiting for, in which most of Takara's past is revealed. If you guys had any questions, they'll probably be answered now. So, on with the show!

Chapter 10

Sasuke found himself in a lush forest; the trees were taller than buildings, the smells were all familiar, and yet so different. He could feel his reawakened senses rushing back to him. Suddenly, the group found themselves at a ledge out-looking an ocean. The sun was setting on the water…

"It…It…It's so…" Sasuke found his mouth agape at one of the prettiest things he'd ever seen. He could feel the tears welling up… 'Wait a minute!' Sasuke caught him self in his mind. 'What the hell is happening to me? I feel like a girl!' He rubbed his eyes and resolved to do the manliest thing he could think of:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" This sudden outburst actually made Sakura and Kakashi fall on their backs in shock (Mr. Neo-Emo just stood there like a moron).

"W-what was that?" Sakura asked politely (Inner Sakura: What the hell?! He could've at least warned us!).

"S-sorry!" he apologized. "I just…had to get it out of my system…"

"There are better ways to satisfy an urge Sasuke, preferably not in my ear," said Kakashi, tapping his head to make sure his ear still worked.

"Not to mention you could've given our position away, you idiot…"

Sasuke got right in front of Naruto's face. "What was that?"

Naruto looked him square in the eye. "You heard me."

Sasuke looked into those eyes and saw something he had seen in a select few people (two being him and his brother): emptiness. Something was definitely wrong.

All of the sudden, the group heard the sound of feet rushing toward them. Naruto was right; Sasuke had given their position away. But when two figures approached them, Kakashi let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. At least if you two were first, we can get out of here." Team 7 turned toward the pair and saw a strikingly pretty young woman with light brown hair in a long ponytail smiling at them. She was wearing what appeared to be a homemade dress with an apron. No doubt she wasn't the one they were escorting.

"Oh, that wasn't a signal? Then I guess you're right!" the young woman laughed. "Hello there, my name is Izanami. I'll be taking you back to the village."

"So, exactly which village is she from?" Sakura asked, referring to the other figure.

"Oh, one you've never been to, I'm sure," giggled Izanami.

"Don't string them along," came a curt voice from behind her. "Just get this over with. I've been away from my bed for too long."

"Y-yes, Hime-sama …" Izanami bowed at the girl at the back of her, who was not only much shorter than her, but also much younger. Her face was hidden behind a veil and her entire head was engulfed in a heavy hood. Except for her attitude, you could never tell she was a princess.

"Well, we're from a village that not many people have heard of. You can't find it on a map because it never stays in the same place for too long…"

"Wait…I…think I've heard of such a place." Sakura put on her "thinking cap" and began rubbing her temples to get the blood flowing. " 'Started centuries ago, the Ninja Alliance is the very first mobile village. It was founded by a group of ninja who were devoted to their jobs, but wanted a change of scenery. So, with the permission of their perspective villages, they started a caravan in which they could go on missions and, after they were done, make a mission out of trying to find their village again. But eventually, the ninja settled down and just decided to keep their strengths up by training regularly and not having formal missions.' Is that right?"

"Very good! You're very smart for such a young lady!"

"So where do you two fit into all of this?" asked Sasuke.

"Well, you see…the princess was doing delegations with some of the more powerful villages. If she didn't, the Alliance would be in danger of being taken over. She's been gone for quite some time and her country misses her. Unfortunately, because of her…special circumstance, she can't be guarded by just one person."

"Special circumstance?" Sakura and Sasuke said in unison.

"You see, the princess is the ruler of the country. If she were to be assassinated, there would be no one to rule over the Alliance," Kakashi answered.

"But then, that means…" Sakura said slowly. She gasped and bowed her head, "I-I'm so sorry…"

"When?" came a soft, but hard voice from behind.

The princess turned toward Naruto. "When I was born. My mother died in childbirth and my father was assassinated shortly after. No big deal…Besides, my teacher takes care of me…"

"Yes, and we were so lucky she was willing to do it, even though she was so young. You see, Hime-sama's teacher was the daughter of the Emperor's right hand man, the General of the Alliance army. She was only 13 when the Emperor entrusted Hime-sama with her. Now, she's the General of our army! Who would've thought?"

"Wait, shouldn't her father still be General, unless he…" Sakura cut herself off. The people of the Alliance seemed to die at very young ages.

"Unfortunately, that would be Konoha's fault," Kakashi breathed.

"What? What do you mean?" asked Sasuke.

"Let's get moving first, then I can explain." So, Team 7, Izanami, and Hime-sama all jumped up and made their way west, Izanami leading the way with the princess not far behind.

The group traveled for about 3 km without a word. Then, Sasuke just had to know (after all, he had just rejoined Konoha and was felling a lot of village pride). "So, why is it our fault?"

Kakashi sighed. "Members of our Council felt that we couldn't handle it on our own, so we called for help from various villages. But, most were too afraid. Then, the Fourth Hokage thought of the Alliance. They were the only ones who sent more than 50 troops; in fact, they sent ¾ of their army and about half of their medic corps. The General and his wife were both struck down: the General on the front line and his wife, the lead medic, as she was tending to one of our fallen officers. That was thirteen years ago, when the Nine-Tails was at its worst. Soon after, the Fourth sealed it away…"

Sasuke looked over at Naruto. He was still empty, but it still appeared as if the comment had stung. 'What did it feel like, he wondered, to be containing something responsible for so much pain?' And then he remembered, he knew exactly how it felt.

"No member of the Alliance resents Konoha for what happened, the General made sure of that," said Izanami in a somber voice.

"She doesn't resent him…she said she never could…" whispered the princess. It had seemed to no one, but the people who knew Naruto's secret understood.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, to say the least. Sure, a few small groups of assassins pounced on our group, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. But at last the travelers arrived. It looked more like a traveling circus than a village, with large, colorful tents, vendors selling various oddities, and children running around. But what could you expect?

For some reason, whenever they passed by people, the ninja would always have giggles following them. "What's the matter with these people? Is there something funny about us?" asked Sakura.

"Probably they're just amazed at how cute you kids are. We don't get many good looking foreigners here very often!" Izanami laughed.

"Humph, I could hardly say they're good looking…" Hime-sama huffed. Sasuke and Sakura took extreme offense to that (Sakura even lunged for the girl); Naruto couldn't've cared less.

"I think it's time you took that hood off, Hime-sama." The voice that uttered that statement came from a beautiful woman about Kakashi's age with deep brown hair almost to her back. She wore a deep green dress with gold trimming, and a smile that could've made Hyuuga Neji melt in his shoes.

"You don't look like much of a general, Katsumi, I have to say," Kakashi teased.

"Shishou…" muttered the princess. She obediently took off her veil and her cloak to reveal a young girl with dark, wavy brown hair and deep blue eyes, eyes that seemed all too familiar. She was dressed in a lavish kimono with intricate designs and vibrant colors, exactly how a princess with her status and manner would dress. She also wore way too much make-up for a young girl.

"Much better," Katsumi smiled. 'Yeah right,' thought Sasuke. He never liked it when girls used their looks to get a point across.

"Okay, well, now that we're all here, I can show you to your tents! Sorry if they're a little musty. We rarely get visitors!" Izanami giggled. "Then, when you're all settled in, we can show you around the village!"

"So, we're staying the night?" asked Sakura.

"Not exactly…" Kakashi answered, but very cautiously, because Naruto was shooting him daggers.

"What does that mean?" Naruto growled.

"Well, there's this big festival coming tomorrow and the General feels that it is an opportune time to attack, so…"

"How. Long." You could actually hear his teeth grinding.

"Just until they…tell us to go home.?"

"What?! That could be days! Why can't we just get another team to do it?" questioned Naruto, in a loud, obnoxious voice that made Sasuke relax for some reason.

"Because I specially requested you, Blondie. I heard that you guys took on the toughest missions assigned to your village, and this is a tough one," sighed the General.

"LIAR!" screeched Hime-sama suddenly. This brought shock to everyone's face, including hers. She looked away and ran off.

"What was…" Sakura began, but thought better of it. Some secrets a girl just has to keep to herself.

_Later that evening…_

Sasuke wandered around the village, his road illuminated by colorful lights and people as the Ninja Alliance prepared for its festival. From what Izanami had told them, there had been a memorial festival in the honor of the lost lives in battle for generations, but they had decided to move it to early October thirteen years ago. It was then Sasuke truly realized why Naruto had been so urgent to go home. The day after tomorrow was his birthday, and the festival lasted two days. He probably didn't want to be there when the reason the event was moved comes out, not to mention he probably wanted to spend that day at home, like every year…

When Sasuke looked up, he found himself in front of the royal tent. He resolved to turn back, at first, but struck that when he heard voices coming from the tent.

"I can't believe you burst out like that. What did you want to do, reveal your secret to everyone?" Sasuke recognized this voice as belonging to Katsumi. He saw that there was a slight opening in the side of the tent. He just had to see. And what he saw nearly made him scream and fall back. Nearly.

Inside the tent sat Katsumi and the princess, but as Katsumi spoke, the princess did something strange. She removed a dark brown wig from her head and revealed bright, blonde hair…

"I'm sorry, okay?" Takara said. "But forgive me if I didn't notice that the real reason you brought them here was to reveal my secret. You never wanted me to do this in the first place!"

"Of course not. Why would I want you to hide yourself from your friends, friends that you just made?"

Takara stood up and moved toward a large chest. She opened it up and revealed two outfits: one another extravagant kimono that her alter ego would wear, the other what appeared to be a purple ninja's outfit, with light fabric and a symbol of a mauve diamond on the front, one Sasuke recognized as the symbol of the Alliance, from the decorations of the festival. She stared at the two outfits intently.

"You're right: I did bring them here for a reason, but not what you think. Takara, you have a choice to make: either you stay here and continue to rule as we planned, or you can move there permanently and try and live like a normal girl."

Takara laughed, "Yeah, well, that's the worst place to try and be normal." Outside, Sasuke closed his eyes and smiled.

"Well, if I know anything, it's this: I've never seen you happier when I see you with him. I know you were trying hard, but every time you looked at him, there was a spark in your eyes I've never seen."

Takara looked at Katsumi with shiny eyes. "I…Shishou, I've never felt this way about anyone! I'm…I'm scared…"

"I know it's scary at first. But once you've met the right person, you can't leave them," Katsumi said with a weak smile.

"How…how did you know?"

Katsumi looked confused. "Me? Well, I suppose when he told me how he felt. He looked at me as if I was the only one in the world, even though we were in a crowded place. I guess that's just what happens."

Takara smiled. "Yeah, I know what you…" Suddenly, she looked wildly about her.

"What is it?" Katsumi asked.

"It…I can't believe I didn't feel it before, but someone's outside!" Katsumi jumped up and flung back the tent opening, only to find an imprint of where Sasuke sat. He was behind another tent, breathing heavily and softly. He couldn't decide: should he rat her out or talk to her? After all, she did say she had feelings for him. 'At least, I'm pretty sure it's me,' he thought.

Abruptly, a hand clasped around his mouth. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you as long as you come quietly."

Sasuke nodded in Katsumi's direction. The two treaded back to Takara's tent. One way or another, Sasuke was about to get his answers.

Takara didn't look up when they came in. After all, she was in character, her wig placed strategically back on her head. "Good, you brought the eavesdropper. Now, kindly take him back to wherever he came from…"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Hime-sama," Katsumi answered sternly with a long breath.

"What do you mean by---" Takara could not finish her sentence, as she had already glanced up to see Sasuke staring right at her. She put her hands on her mouth and shook her head.

"No…"

Katsumi looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, Hime-sama, but…he probably heard everything."

Sasuke nodded, but his eyes never left her face. "Look, you don't have to wear that stupid thing in front of me. I bet it itches like crazy."

Takara nodded sadly and removed her wig once more. "So…everything, huh?"

He sat down in front of her, reaching to wipe the tears and makeup from her eyes. "Yeah, everything… So that means your father wasn't assassinated, right?"

"Yeah, but it was pretty convincing, huh?"

Sasuke laughed, "Yeah, I guess…(this was a very long pause) So, that last part…" He wasn't sure if he should ask, or if he wanted to know.

Takara looked up with a stunned face. "Oh, you won't tell him, will you? He's mad enough at me already for 'going on a mission.' If he finds out about all of this…"

Sasuke started. At first he was shocked, then he smiled, embarrassed. "Wow, I…I can't believe I…No, I won't tell him. But I don't think he's mad at you. I think he's mad at her for keeping him here." At this, he pointed at the brown lump lying askew on the ground.

"I didn't mean to, honest! To tell the truth, I may have…forgotten…about his…birthday…" She bowed her head in apology.

Katsumi smiled. "But you know, Sasuke, you're gonna have a very hard time keeping quiet. Sakura's a very smart girl, and Naruto's bound to look into her eyes eventually."

"What…what about Kakashi-sensei? Unless…he already knew, didn't he?"

Takara smiled feebly, "Yes, he did. In fact, you know one of the reasons why."

"Because of how you guys met before in Konoha, right?"

"That's one reason. But there's another that you were made aware of tonight."

Sasuke sat there for a bit. Then his face lit up. "No way…"

Takara smiled. "Way."

"Oh come on, you two. It's not that amazing," Katsumi pouted, hurt.

"Are you kidding? The fact that our two teachers once…That's hysterical!"

Sasuke and Takara laughed openly for a moment, then got their acts together. "At any rate," Takara continued, "you should go and get some rest. Big day tomorrow, after all!"

"Are you gonna…you know?" Sasuke asked.

"Not yet. But I do have a way where, whether I like it or not, they're about to find out."

Sasuke got up slowly and walked towards the door. "And your village?"

"Are you kidding?" Takara laughed. "They've known from the beginning. Why else do you think they were giggling at us?"

End of Chapter 10!

A/N: What did I tell you? When I deliver, man, do I deliver! I know this chapter was mainly Sasuke based, but that's just what happens when I write: you never know who the main character will be next! But I promise that next chapter will be mainly Sakura's turn, then Naruto's up next. And you may even get some Kakashi and Katsumi action. I mean, how else are you gonna find out what happened between them? Oh, and btw: there was a fan art picture made of Takara by request by the wonderful popcornfuzzy…you can see it on my profile. It's fantasmaglorious, no? That's it, until next time!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Okay, gotta get this over with, so I'll try and start writing more…

Chapter 11

Sun poured over the hills of the countryside. There wasn't a cloud to be seen for miles, and stab me in the foot if the animals weren't singing…However, there were a handful of people in the Ninja Alliance on that glorious festival day that would've wanted to be somewhere else.

Sakura had woken up that morning with a very bad feeling. Usually she didn't catch stuff like that, like on the days past when she'd wake up thinking everything was fine and then…BAM! Well, you all know…She brushed the sleep out of her hair as she peered out the window of her tent. The people were running about everywhere, doing miscellaneous tasks that hadn't been completed the night before. She smiled, at first, but then that bad feeling came back.

She tied her headband in her hair and looked at the outfit Izanami had lent her for tonight. It was a very pretty red kimono with sakura designs in pink. Perfect.

When she was ready, she left the tent to find the boys, whom, she guessed were already up. Boy, was she wrong. When she arrived, a blanket appeared to be eating Sasuke and Naruto's pillow had attacked his face.

"Boys will be boys…" Kakashi stated simply as he, too, entered the tent, but, instead of just admiring, he took out a small whistle from his pocket and blew on it gently. But the sound wasn't gentle at all. It was like ten thousand wet cats screeching while three hundred teapots simultaneously went off…Ear-bleeding bad. And yet, the boys barely woke up.

"Did someone say something?" asked Sasuke groggily. He whipped the blanket off to stand up, but slammed to the floor in the same second as he tripped over the mess he had made.

"Quit making so much noise, will ya?" Naruto woke up in a bad mood, and that didn't happen very often. So Sakura's suspicions were confirmed: today was not going to be the best of days.

As soon as the boys were finished getting up (which required a lot of bickering, it seemed), Team 7 left to go check on the princess. Unlike the boys, she had no problem getting up; at least, that was what Sakura figured after seeing her up and ready, busying about. Izanami was right behind her, calling out suggestions that the princess usually took.

"All right, then," came the General's voice from behind them. "I bet you're wondering about your assignments. Well, let's see," she took out a large clipboard and read down a list. "Kakashi, you're with me. We have some security matters to discuss (Sasuke: yeah, right). Sakura-san, you have the first shift of helping Izanami with festival preparations, and Sasuke, you have first body-guard shift, protecting the princess…"

"Hey! What am I supposed to do?! Just stand around?"

Katsumi smiled, "Exactly. You're the lucky one this shift, Blondie. You get to do whatever you want to relax before your working shifts. All right, now that we're all set, we'll meet back to switch in two hours. Got it?"

"Got it," came one determined voice, one gloomy voice, and one excited voice.

"Good, now Kakashi, if you please…" And the two senseis walked off briskly, as if hiding something. When Sakura was down pondering, she found herself standing alone.

"Are you ready, Sakura-san?" came Izanami's calm voice.

"Yes, of course. What do we do now?"

Izanami led her to what appeared to be a small arena. "This is where we hold a small tournament every year. You know, to keep the villagers in shape. It's all very exciting: the object is to impress the judge with not only your mastery of jutsu, but also how you use it to make the best show. What Katsumi-sama has instructed is for us to set up a small barrier around the place where the audience will sit so as not to have anyone hurt."

"Okay…" Sakura understood her assignment, but she was still worrying about the others. Not to mention her jealousy of the princess getting to spend two hours alone with Sasuke. Little did she know that she had been permitting such behavior for a while…

_In the royal tent…_

Sasuke leaned on Takara-hime's bed as she changed into something "more comfortable" as she had put it. She returned with a purple outfit with the mauve diamond of the Alliance on her chest.

"What?" Takara asked with her hand on her hip.

"Do you really think your alter ego would wear something like that?"

Takara paused for a second, then shook her head. "No. But it's not like anyone will see us. We'll avoid the others. And even so…" She pulled the wig over her head. "If they see us, they won't be able to tell the difference."

Sasuke smiled. He couldn't tell if that confidence came from the Elemental spirit, or if she was just born arrogant. And he's one to talk.

The two left, with Takara putting on her best princess face and Sasuke trying not to laugh. She led him to one of the largest tents on the compound: even bigger than the royal tent. Around it, many children were playing. And there wasn't an adult in sight.

"HIME-SAMA!!!" A collective yell came out when the children spotted their princess. They all ran over and tackled her to the ground, with her laughing and tickling them all back.

"Okay, guys, okay! Now what did I tell you? Try not to be so happy to see me next time."

"Haha! Okay Hime-sama!" said one of the little girls with a giggle. "But you look funny with brown hair!"

"Yeah, but your clothes are the same!" cried out an older looking boy with a sling.

"You're right, Yuki. But you should have seen the horrid thing I had to wear yesterday! All frilly and girly!"

A large "EWW!!!" erupted from the crowd, followed by more laughter.

"Hey, HEY! Who's this guy over here? He's cute!"

Sasuke blushed a little while Takara slipped him a grin. "I…I'm Uchiha Sasuke…"

"You're Uchiha Sasuke?" came a slightly amazed voice from the tent. A boy their age stepped out, with light red hair and hazel eyes that spoke volumes. If Sasuke were gay, he would definitely be attracted to this boy. But he's not. So stop asking.

"Suichi…" Takara almost whispered in a teeny voice that made Sasuke suspicious.

"Nice to see you again, Hime-sama," said Suichi as he approached Takara and gave her a light, loving kiss on the cheek (like a boyfriend, not a family member) that made Sasuke so angry, he could've fried the kid right then and there with his mind.

"What the heck is going on here?!" Sasuke chose his words carefully for the kids.

Takara, who had Suichi's arm over her shoulder, sighed sadly and said, "Sasuke…Suichi is my fiancée…we're to be married soon…"

You could've slapped Sasuke across the face, called him a failure, and praised Itachi and he still would not have felt worse that he did now. Not only was this an insult to him, but it was an insult to his best friend. And that, Sasuke would not tolerate. Especially since Naruto had wandered over at that exact moment.

"Fiancée, huh? Congratulations, Hime-sama…" he said with immeasurable enthusiasm. Sasuke looked at him confused at first, but then remembered that Naruto was the only one present in the dark.

"Don't get too excited, pal. It was my parents' idea. Something about "extreme honor" or whatever. It's not like either of us wanna be married…"

"What?!" said the two boys in unison.

"We've been friends since forever," Suichi explained, "we just put on this charade for my folks and the rest of the village."

"I made Suichi promise me never to kiss me on the lips until our wedding day," the princess said curtly, but her pleading eyes to Sasuke made him understand: she was hoping for an escape, to be kissed by her true love when she found him.

"I see…Well, what're you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Naruto asked her.

"This is the Alliance's orphanage. I came to make sure everything is okay…" Hime-sama replied plainly, as if that act of kindness had no effect on her, but Sasuke begged to differ. "And you? What are you doing here?"

"I was bored, okay?!" he shouted at her angrily. They could all tell his bad mood was getting worse. "You're the one who made me stay all cooped up like a prisoner!"

"What was I supposed to do, huh?" cried Takara, unable to restrain herself.

"You could've asked me to protect you! What do you think I am? Useless?! Or is it because of Kyuubi?!"

Takara screamed, "Why would you ever think that? The day I found out you were the Nine-tailed Fox's Jinchuuriki was the happiest day of my life!"

"And why is that, Hime-sama?!" Naruto was so close to her, he could've looked up her nose to her brain.

"BECAUSE I---" she stopped because had finally realized what she was saying. The kids were all hiding behind Suichi, whose mouth was agape, and Sasuke could've been blow by the wind. Naruto stood there waiting for her answer, but soon began just staring into her eyes. They held such life, even though she was so selfish. Such beauty, such gorgeous blond…He had seen hair poking from under her wig. He took a step back.

"How…how many more secrets can you possibly keep from me?" Naruto said amazed at this discovery.

Kakashi, Katsumi, Izanami, Sakura, and a few villagers appeared to see what had caused the commotion.

Takara looked down, then reached and pulled off her wig. "You have no idea."

_Back at the royal tent…_

Katsumi had taken Naruto, Takara and Sasuke into the tent alone as Izanami explained everything to Sakura outside, with the help of Kakashi and Suichi.

Katsumi sighed and sat in front of the boys, who were seated side by side. "There's not really much I can tell you, Naruto. Not without tearing up, that is." Naruto found that hard to believe, but let her go on.

"Of course you know about what happened to my parents. But what you didn't know is…"

_Flashback…_

A thirteen-year-old Katsumi stood beside the Emperor and Empress of the Alliance in the Hokage's office. The third Hokage was holding a sleeping baby, with blond hair poking from his blanket.

"As you know, the Alliance has been moved near Konoha for now," the Emperor was saying. The Empress stared longingly at the baby boy, impatient for her own child. "We will continue to provide relief for your losses in exchange for you hospital space for our medic-nin to perform."

"Of course, no question," nodded the Third.

"Oh, please let me hold him, Sarutobi-sama. I want more practice," begged the Empress. The Third smiled and got up for the Empress to sit down. Then he handed Naruto to her gently as she smiled at him. "I can't…I just can't leave him here…The Fourth was my dear friend, he helped me through a lot! I just can't ignore his legacy. We will take him."

The Third Hokage was taken aback. "You already have one on the way, Empress. I understand you feelings, but I must implore…"

"I'll help," Katsumi interrupted. The others looked at her like she was crazy. "He saved us all. And I owe it to my parents. When I'm old enough, I'll raise him on my own. We can bring them up like brother and sister!"

The Third could not ignore the two women's happy smiles, but he turned to the Emperor for help. All he found was a proud father looking at a possible future son. The Hokage sighed, "Let's just wait for the princess to be born. If all goes well…then I guess I have no better idea."

Two months passed, and the more Katsumi was around the Konoha villagers, the more she could tell they didn't like Naruto as much as she did. Perhaps she was just a forgiving person. She would feed him, change him, rock him to sleep, anything and everything to prepare her. And the Emperor was more that willing for help, now that the Empress was so close to giving birth.

One winter's day, Katsumi took a bundled up Naruto for a stroll around the village, maybe just so he could see the sights before he left. When the snow began to fall, he would try his hardest to catch it, but with no avail. And even though he did many more cute baby things like that, the looks just got worse. Except for a few occasions.

On passing the Uchiha estate that day, a mother and her two sons were out in the snow: one a few years old with a blank look on his face (you know the one), the other a baby only a few months older than Naruto. The mother brought her baby over to Katsumi and said, "Look, Sasuke! Another baby…"

The two boys looked intently into each other's eyes, communicating telepathically. It was…love at first sight. There. I said it. Happy? Geez…

Naruto reached out a tiny hand to Sasuke, and the Uchiha returned the gesture, grasping it tightly. His mother smiled, "You know, I don't know what the village has against this boy. He's just a baby, after all…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Katsumi."

Another smile. "Mikoto. And this quiet one is Itachi. He's almost seven."

"My, you look much older and more mature than seven. You'll go far, Itachi." This made him blush and turn away inside his scarf (And also sink into that horrible "I am mightier than thou" attitude we all love. That's right, Katsumi. It was you). "Oo, I better get him back inside, his cheeks are getting too rosy for my taste. It was nice to meet you three."

"You as well," Mikoto waved happily. And that would be the last time Katsumi saw them all together.

_End of flashback._

Katsumi could not decide who had the most shocked face. Naruto looked as though the world had ended, while Sasuke could have bore a hole in the floor with his eyes.

"I understand your shock, both of you. But let me explain. Sasuke: how was I supposed to know what your brother would turn out to be? It's not like I could read minds or anything…And Naruto…"

"No." It was said so bluntly, it was as if he stabbed her right through the heart. "I could have left all of it. Could've…could've had a family, even if Takara was Elemental (a sob from the corner). None of the pain…none of the misery…none of it." He began to clench his fists so tightly, he almost broke skin, until Sasuke grabbed his arm to prevent bloodshed.

"I know…I would've, I really would've…But the Hokage wouldn't hear of it. A thirteen-year-old taking care of two infants alone? I wish…But that's no excuse. I should have come after you. I guess I was just afraid of having you two under the same roof. Afraid she might snap and hurt you, or vice versa, I don't know...If it's any consolation, I came back to Konoha every year to see if you were okay. Bet you didn't know I was on Recon for looking for Sasuke outside the Leaf village. I saw what it did to you and couldn't stand to see you get hurt."

Sasuke squeezed his best friend's arm in apology. Every time…Naruto looked up at Katsumi, "So Takara knew about me the whole time, then?" Another sob came from the corner, this time louder and enough to make Takara fall to her knees.

"No, I never told her your name or what you looked like. All I told her was that one day, she would meet the Jinchuuriki of the Leaf village and…" Katsumi looked away; she could not continue.

"And what?" asked Sasuke.

"…a-and gr-grow up t-to marry him-m s-s-so we'd n-never be ap-part!" sniffed and wailed Takara, unable to even try and disclose her sorrow.

The room was silent, except for Takara's moans. Sasuke continued to hold onto Naruto's arm, afraid if he let go, the boy would sink away. Katsumi was wiping her eyes, wanting for the past to change now more than ever. Naruto was staring at Takara, knowing that what she had said had been one of her main goals from birth. What to do…

_At the festival tournament…_

All parties involved had agreed to put on a good show for the sake of the Alliance. Sakura, to her dismay, was to guard the now unveiled Takara along with Kakashi. Katsumi put Naruto and Sasuke in the tournament to get an inside view. She was afraid an assassin had infiltrated the contest, and may try something fishy.

"Ladies and gentleman! Welcome to our annual Tournament of Warriors! Fighters from all over have come to compete and win the title of our country's strongest warrior! I will be your moderator and judge for this fine afternoon!" Takara proclaimed as applause followed. She was smiling, but Sakura couldn't help ignore the tearstains on her friend's face.

"Now, the rules: Each contestant will perform a routine for us, using both skill and showmanship. Once every contestant has finished, based on crowd approval and my taste, I will declare a winner. The winner, if female, will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the hot spring of her choice (a moan from Sakura), while a male winner will receive a kiss from me (a large swoon from the boys)! All right everyone! Let's get started!"

End of chapter 11!

A/N: Just keep going! And guys, pretty soon, I'm putting up like six deviations on my DeviantArt account, so watch out! And prepare yourselves for next chapter, where I delve into my fight scene skills…


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I found that I made a few mistakes last chapter. Turns out I put that Katsumi was 15 when our two heroes were born, when in reality, she was 13…Oops…I fixed though...Anywho, on with the show!!! Oh, and please read the fight scenes slowly...imagine you're watching them on the anime...

Chapter 12

Sasuke looked over at Naruto. He was just sitting there with a blank look on his face. Sasuke sat down beside him and sighed, "How the hell are we supposed to come up with a routine in an hour? Some of these guys have been doing this for months! I mean, we're good but not that good…" He looked over with a smile that faded away as quickly as it came when he saw Suichi standing beyond Naruto's shoulder.

"It's not as hard as it sounds. It's just coming up with a bunch of combos that are, instead of being designed for combat, designed for show. I guess it all depends on your jutsu, though."

"You ever won this?" asked an angry Sasuke, thinking of first prize to a male.

Suichi laughed. "Nope, and I enter every year in prospect of beating her at her little game." If Suichi thought that would brighten the mood, it only made Sasuke angrier. "But...the prize is different every year. This is the first time she's done this..."

Suddenly, a contestant ran from the field with his hair on fire, screaming like a girl. "I know that guy. He used fireworks last year. No wonder the fire's blue…"

"…what kind of jutsu do you use…?"

Sasuke and Suichi turned to see that the question had come from Naruto. Slightly taken aback, Suichi answered, "Uh…mostly Water-based, if that's what you're asking. I bet you use Fire-based, Sasuke. Am I right?"

"Yeah, but that's not all I can do…" Sasuke pouted, noting that Chidori was his strongest attack.

"Yeah, okay…And you Naruto? What types do you use?"

It looked as though he wouldn't answer because he lowered his head, but I guess that's his emo way of thinking, 'cuz he replied, "Wind-based, mostly…But I guess transformation and cloning jutsus are the ones I use most…"

They were interrupted by a booming voice announcing that it was Suichi's turn next. "Well, looks like I gotta go…Come take a look, if you wanna see what yer up against!"

Of course the world's most competitive people could not turn down that challenge. They scurried over to the edge of the fighter's tent to peer out the opening. Suichi was out there acting like he was the greatest thing since cup ramen, bowing and winking at screeching girls. Sasuke turned to see Takara with a sour look on her face, but he knew she was laughing on the inside. After all, he wasn't really her boyfriend, so it didn't really matter what he did. But it was still funny watching him make a fool out of himself.

All of a sudden, he put his hands up for silence. Then, he performed hand signs almost as quickly as Sasuke could. Almost. A small ball of water that looked very familiar appeared in his hands. However, the difference between his and the ball of water Takara had made all those months ago was that he needed both hands to control it. He swirled it around, making the crowd "Ooh" and "Aah". He then threw it up in the air and performed another series of hand signs, making the small ball engorge into the size of a small lake above his head.

He smiled, preparing for the finale. He closed his eyes and performed a very lengthy series of seals, 44 to be exact. Kakashi was amazed that such a young boy knew this technique, but had he mastered it? "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"

Immediately, the giant mass of water turned into a ferocious dragon. It roared with intensity, leaving the audience stunned and scared. It slowly crept forward, opening its mouth wider. And just when it appeared it would swallow the audience whole, it popped into glorious bubbles and drops that shimmered in front of their faces. All the while, Suichi played the part, intense in the beginning, ominous in the middle, and now with a wide smile on his face. He waved and ran off as the audience exploded with approval.

When he reached the tent, Naruto and Sasuke were both amazed, but soon saw the truth. Suichi's entire body was shaking, as it was an effort to stand. The medic-nin formed a tight circle around him, to make sure that none of their chakra was wasted.

"Looks like he wasn't so great after all…" Naruto said gloomily.

"I don't know, man…It takes a lot of skill to master that jutsu, no matter how much chakra you have. And he did put on a good show."

Naruto shook his head. "Some of these guys have never seen battle. If this is all they have to look forward to, then they only perfect their skills for a performance. Some jutsu just don't transfer well. There's no way he'd be able to do that in reality."

"I guess. But only shinobi who have been taught to hone their skills for practicality in battle know that. Let them worry about it."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, but what if their village is attacked? If that's all they can do…"

"It's not." Katsumi entered from the entrance to the princess's judging chamber. "You're right. Some of these kids have never seen battle, and we don't want them to. Not yet, anyway. Anyone who enlists in our country's army is properly taught how to use jutsu in battle, so don't worry about it. We can handle ourselves." Sasuke nodded in agreement, but the concern on Naruto's face didn't wash off. Katsumi was impressed. He was thinking like a true leader, not just boasting as he had done in the past. He'd really changed...

It was about another hour later when Sasuke went on. A kunoichi had been in front of him, and she smiled and said, "Hope you don't get your hands dirty, pretty boy. Leave this to the experts!"

Sasuke turned away and smiled. She didn't have a clue. He was ready; standing in the middle of the arena, he could feel Takara's eyes boring through his skull, waiting to see what he came up with. He closed his eyes, envisioning every move…

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" He shot the fireball straight up, making it spread out into a wall above his head. He then grabbed a handful of shuriken, throwing them up to the wall. Using his chakra, he activated the shuriken to catch the fire and spin around the crowd in whatever direction he wanted. His chakra contracted into a string that attached the shuriken together, so that they landed in a circle around him, still ablaze. He then performed another series of seals, getting ready for the big finish. "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!"

The circle of flames rose to larger capacity, creating a shroud of flame that completely blocked Sasuke from view. "Shunshin no Jutsu," he whispered, so that no one would hear him. When the flames cleared, he was gone. In a tree far away, he yelled, "Ka-Shunshin!" so they could hear. In an instant, he was back onstage, appearing to step out of more flames. He took a bow as the audience exploded once more, but with bigger applause than anyone before (including Suichi).

As Sasuke walked back into the tent, he muttered to the bewildered kunoichi, "Look. I didn't get my hands dirty after all…"

Sasuke put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Your turn, pal. Make her eat her foot."

Naruto stood up and walked out of the tent. When he reached the center of the stage, he turned his head to the princess and smiled. He then turned back to the audience and yelled in his own voice, "Thank you, thank you! You're all to kind! Yes, bask in my glory!"

"Just get on with it, you idiot!" shouted Sakura angrily, but inside, she was happy to hear him talking like that again.

"You got it, Sakura! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A single clone appeared at Naruto's right, making it appear he would use the Rasengan out right. But when the clone stepped out and turned to face him from almost 10 feet away, something was up. "Henge no Jutsu!" bellowed the clone, as a large cloud of smoke appeared around it. Perhaps more shocking than this was who appeared in the clone's place: Sasuke.

The two faced each other down, and the real fun began. Naruto charged trying to land a punch or two, but the Sasuke he was fighting moved gracefully to avoid his attacks, bending backwards, to the left, the right, and finally flipping backwards on his hands to kick Naruto in the face. Of course, Sasuke landed perfectly, with a very smug smile, but Naruto wasn't done yet. He charged again, but this time disappeared when he was almost there, only to return behind the clone and roundhouse kick him in the face to return the favor. This time, Sasuke didn't land so perfectly, and with an angry look.

The real Sasuke was amazed. Naruto was giving the clone extra boosts of chakra when he hit it so it didn't evaporate. It was entirely complex and very smart. When did that happen?

Now the clone used Sasuke's speed to get behind Naruto and grab him in a chokehold, but that was a big mistake that Sasuke recognized all too well. Naruto smiled and kneed the Sasuke-clone right in the groin. You guys remember that face? Yeah, that one…

When the clone could breath again, he stood up and activated his mock Sharingan. Sasuke knew exactly what was coming: the big finish. Another clone appeared at Naruto's side. As the Chidori on one side and the Rasengan on the other glowed fervently, Takara had an utter look of distress on her face. Could she bear to see this again, even if it wasn't real?

She would have to wait to worry, because the two were charging full speed at one another. They pushed their respective attacks to full power, and when they collided the blast lit up the entire compound. There was a scream…

When the smoke cleared, there was a pyramid of Narutos holding up a sign that said "Victory!!!" and a very beaten up Sasuke on the ground. The clones vanished as the crowd was on their feet, giving Naruto the best thrill of his life. Everyone was cheering for him, just like in the Chuunin exams...

"It's all right, Hime-sama! It's over!" soothed Izanami, as Takara had her head buried in her arms. She shook her head, so Izanami stepped forward. "Would all the contestants please come out to the field?"

Each contestant filed in, Sasuke and a now healed Suichi running to get on either side of Naruto. "That was amazing!" Suichi exclaimed. "It's like you were a pro or something!"

"Yeah, well when you're good, you're good…"

Sasuke laughed, "Or when your whole life is just one big freak show!" Naruto frowned angrily, but stopped when Takara stood up behind them.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Sorry for the delay, but I must tell you, I found this decision very hard. All of the contestants performed beautifully, and all deserve praise! So, another round!" The audience clapped once more, and when it died down, Takara spoke again. "But I have made my decision. In fourth place, our top kunoichi this year, Miyuki!"

A girl with dirty blonde hair stepped forward and bowed. Takara came down and gave her a hug, then said, "Miyuki receives a one-day pass to the hot spring of her choice! Another round for her!"

When the crowd was finished, Takara walked slowly to the middle of the line. "In third place, another of our own…Suichi!" Suichi first made a face, then shrugged into a bow for more applause. Takara leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, which made Sasuke burn where he stood. But he was over it when he realized Suichi hadn't won. But then who did?

"Now, this decision was very hard, because the two on top were very close in both skill, execution, and finesse! But, in second place, my friend…Uchiha Sasuke!" Sasuke was shocked. He hadn't done that good…But he bowed any way. When he came up, Takara threw her arms around him and whispered, "You were amazing!" She then kissed him on the cheek as well, which made him blush terribly. Then he realized: He had beaten Suichi! All right, man!

"And now! The winner of our annual tournament…(silence)...Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto was nodding with consent still from Sasuke's placing, and hadn't even realized his name had been called, until the audience, and the contestants, roared with approval.

"Naruto," Takara stated, although she didn't look directly at him. "You exemplified today what this tournament is all about: using battle techniques in a masterful way that not only impresses, but also gives an idea about what real battle is like. And for that, I bow to you."

He stood there looking down at her. She came up and smiled softly, grabbing his hand and turning to face the crowd. "OUR WINNER!!!(there was a long pause for applause, then she put his hand down)…Thank you everyone for coming and participating, and for those of you who traveled, have a safe trip ho-"

Takara could not finish because the tournament winner had taken his prize. And for Naruto's first kiss with a girl, it wasn't half bad. Sure, his eyes were closed, but who cares? Takara was shocked at first, then closed her eyes as well and threw her arms around him. His arms were around her waist, just like he'd seen in movies. Perfectly romantic. They were in each other's arms for about twelve seconds more, then they slowly pulled away.

They were both slightly dizzy from the rush of it all, both with very dazed smiles. All around them, faces were different. Women had their hands clasped together, smiling at the romantic sight. Some of the local boys, of all ages, were silently sobbing at the loss of their…ahem…virgin princess. Yeah, yeah, get it outta your systems. Sakura couldn't help beaming, but then thought about how jealous she was that Sasuke would never do that with her...Suichi, on the other hand, was so happy, he could have cried. Now he finally had a way to put his secret plan into action…Katsumi and Kakashi were smiling too, but when their eyes met, they quickly turned away in remembrance of the past.

Perhaps the one with the most mixed emotions was Sasuke. First, he was a little angry that Naruto had won and got to kiss Takara, then he was happy for him, then he was so determined to find that some day, you could've roasted marshmallows on the flames in his eyes. But the one emotion that kept sticking out was relief. Thank god…

"Well, pal…Looks like you finally beat me."

End of Chapter 12!

A/N: Oh yeah, that's right! I rule!!! C'mon people, bring on the love in the form of reviews!!! I mean, COME ON! Is this good or what? And I got it up quick! Well, I'll probably be getting up a lot of stuff since I'm stuck at home…So be on the lookout! Guess what's coming up next! I'll give you a hint: If I had chapter titles, this one would be called "Confessions". Oohh…the possibilities…


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while…what do you guys think? Is sophomore year your hardest year of high school? Maybe I'm just a little freaked by all the work. I mean, we have already had like 10 major grades throughout my six classes this first six weeks! Well, I should probably get started…Confessions, ooh…

Chapter 13

For early October, the plain that the Alliance was positioned on was unusually colored. It had been about half and half the first day, then the brown and gold had over taken the green. It had been quite pleasant. However, on the morning of October 10th, the air was stifling. It was dry, yet foggy. The leaves had all turned deep brown, falling from their branches. It was also exceptionally cold, something the ninja of Konoha had not prepared for.

As bright and lively the Alliance had been the day before, it was just as dark and gloomy today. Strange, how things can change in such a short period of time. In her tent, Izanami had woken up with a headache. Not a good sign. She slowly trudged over to the royal tent and pushed Katsumi's shoulders back and forth.

"K-Katsumi-sama…Wake up, please…" Katsumi just groaned and turned on her side. Izanami still persisted, but eventually gave up and fell on top of the bed. This happened every year: no one in the Alliance ever wanted to get up.

"What on earth are you two doing?" Takara was dressed in all black, with a black ribbon in her hair. Her hand was on her hip and she, too, looked half asleep.

After all three were dressed and ready, they set out to find their guests. To their surprise, one of their guests found them. "Morning, ladies," Kakashi said, a little to happily for their taste.

"Mm…Hey, have you seen the others?" Takara asked, looking around.

"Last I checked the three of them were together by that monument. Good kids…"

Takara nodded and ran off. Like she had time for those three silly grownups.

"I must leave, I'm afraid. I must tend to the needs of the procession. It goes on all day, for people to take their time. The flowers have to be watched after and---"

"Yes, Izanami, we know, just go…" Katsumi waved her subordinate off and turned seriously to Kakashi. "Now…let's walk and talk."

As the two walked around the edge of the village, the trees surrounding them swayed in the breeze. For a slight second, the sun poke through the branches to kiss them on the cheek; swiftly as it came, however, it was gone, leaving the dismal scene in its place.

"So, what's this about then?"

"Oh, like you didn't know! We haven't spoken in over five years, and you tell me you don't have a clue why?!" Katsumi's pent-up anger began pouring out just as she glared at the man in front of her.

Kakashi shrugged, "I know why I haven't spoken to you. Why you'd be angry, I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

Kakashi sighed, "You're the one who didn't show up…"

Katsumi was taken aback. Was he serious? "W-what?"

" 'Meet me at one on the east side of the wall,' and I did. I waited for an hour, and you never showed. So why're you angry?"

Katsumi slowly began to laugh; it was just too silly. "What's so funny?" Kakashi asked, a little irritated.

"Y-you don't get it…I said 'Meet me on the west side of the wall'…All this time and neither of us even bothered to look over…" she continued to laugh at the tragic irony.

"You mean…all this time…" Kakashi was saddened by this. The whole reason they had planned that meeting five years ago was to talk about their future together, and how it would affect the young Elemental.

"Don't be so melancholy." Kakashi perked up to see the beautiful smile that had drawn him here in the first place. "I…I guess…we should start over?"

Kakashi smiled, then took her hand. "We seem to be doing a lot of that lately."

On the other side of the village, another party planned to continue starting over. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all stood looking at the monument summoned by the Alliance. It couldn't be taken everywhere, so elders of the village had to summon the large obelisk. On it, names of fallen warriors of this village and others were etched in the stone. Apparently, when re-summoned, the stone tablet added on the lives lost during that year.

The three didn't get very close: people were all lined up paying their respects. As instructed, they wore all black to respect the Alliance's tradition. Naruto would have loved to be anywhere else but here.

"When do you guys want to go up there?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Not now," answered Sasuke, just as quiet. "Let the rest of the village go first. We're guests here, we shouldn't impose."

"He's right. You know, I thought I saw a lake nearby. Kakashi-sensei said we could take it easy today," Naruto offered. _Please let me go…_

Sasuke and Sakura nodded, and the trio was on the move again. Luckily for a certain someone, she arrived just in time to catch them.

"Sakura-san! Sasuke-_chan_! Naruto-sensei!" She waved and ran over, unusually cheerful, for some reason. I mean, this was a memorial…(allusion to FB).

Sasuke smiled and took her hand. "We're going to the lake, princess. Best if you stay close so we can protect you."

Takara giggled. "Yes sir, Mister Ninja, sir!" As the two walked on, the people on their sides were not as happy as they were. What they didn't realize was that both Sasuke and Takara were putting out as much happiness as possible before they had to part…

When the group reached the lake, the princess broke free, smiling, to take a closer look. Twirling her finger in the water, she became solemn after a while and said, "Can I ask you guys something?"

The team was confused. As they looked on, Takara became more like herself again when she said, "Damn it, I don't know what I'm supposed to do! I mean, I thought that I was supposed to stay here, rule the country, marry Suichi, and be done with it. But now, thanks to you three, I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"

"What?" Sasuke asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, duh, you didn't think I'd stay in Konoha forever, didja?" The somber look on his face told her he did.

"Well," Sakura said sadly and unhurriedly, "the obvious choice would be to stay here. I mean, this is your country, right?"

Takara tilted her head to the side and walked over slowly to take Sakura by the hands. "But you sound like you don't want me to."

Sakura shifted her eyes to the side, but it failed. The tears ran down her face. She couldn't forget those days past, when she and Takara had walked the streets of Konoha, talking like old friends, but as excited as new ones. _Please help me…_she pleaded in her head, hoping to get a thought across to the boys.

Sasuke was first to speak. "Of course we don't want you to! You were there long enough for us to get to know you, but just as quickly you go? It…it's just not fair…"

"Oh…but you're not helping…Come on, Sasuke! I helped you make a decision, now you have to help me!"

"I'm trying to!"

"But you're doing it wrong! You don't help people by being selfish and saying what you think, what you want! You try and give them advice based on what's best for everyone involved!"

Sasuke could feel heat on his face, as well as tears. "You want me to think about the people? Fine! I'm sure the people will understand if you go! Katsumi's been taking care of the village while you were away! They can handle themselves, so just don't…"

Her face was close now. He could see a sadness in them he hadn't seen today. "Everyone involved, Sasuke…Think about it, Suichi's family has had its heart set on marrying the two of us off. Do you really think they'd just let me go?"

_She's…right. She's right…No…please…I can't…_Sasuke could hear his own heart beating. One, two, one, two…footsteps? He turned to see Suichi and the girl named Miyuki standing there, dressed in black as well. How is it he can look better in funeral clothes, Sasuke thought to himself, more irritated now than before.

"Good, you're all here," Suichi began with an unsteady sigh. "And you're talking about it already, that's great."

"Suichi, what're…?"

He held up his hand. "Not a word, Hime-sama. I need to do this now before," he paused and looked between Sasuke and Naruto, still standing there, "before someone gets hurt and even you can't fix it."

Miyuki nodded, "Yes. He's right…Now, Hime-sama, we want to apologize for what we're about to tell you…Suichi and I…" She paused, appearing unsure.

"Go on…"

Suichi put his hand on Miyuki's shoulder. "It's all right. Let me….Hime-sama, Miyuki and I have fallen for each other."

There were four very shocked faces staring back at him. After a while, Takara mustered up her reaction. "What?! While I was away?"

"Yes, and we're terribly sorry, it just happened," Miyuki offered, sounding slightly ashamed.

"I've been talking to my parents, and they say they're a little disappointed, but once I explained everything to them-"

"Explained?!" Takara was getting ticked this information was kept from her. Usually, she knew everything that happened in her village, even when she wasn't there…

"How you've been living in Konoha. How you've made new friends. How…how I can tell, just by looking at you with them, you belong. Look, I was the only thing really tying you down to this place, you don't have to stay anymore…"

"Shishou…said something like this would happen when I left. 'One of these days, you're gonna leave and everything's gonna change.' She was right…"

"That's right! You changed too, Hime-sama! Please, we only want what's best for the country, but right now, it's what's best for you that counts! Go to Konoha…be happy with these new friends." Miyuki seemed as if she was being strong, but even the ninja knew it was hard for her to say goodbye. There was a pause…

"It's you decision…" Sasuke looked at her with sorrow. "It's what you want…"

Takara looked to all of her friends, pushing her and pulling her in the same direction. All but…

"Naruto-sensei, what d'you…"

"Stop calling me that!" His face was contorted with rage. He couldn't even stand to look at her. First, she hides all of these secrets, then she expects him to make a big decision for her. "What kind of friend are you?! Only friends have nicknames for each other! You…someone like you can't possibly be a friend of mine!"

A shocked Sasuke grabbed Naruto by his shirt. "How can you even say that?! Do you know what she did for us? She gave up a piece of her heart for us, to spare us! How can you just turn her away?!"

Naruto pushed him back. "She lied to us! She put us on the spot, made us decide! She… when she did decide for herself, she made those decisions without telling anyone! Without even talking to anyone...Sound familiar?"

Sasuke was taken aback. This was turning into a different conversation entirely. He rounded up and right hooked Naruto in the face, knocking him over. "Don't you think I wanted to? You think I wasn't aware of how stupid I was being? It's this thing on my neck! It made me turn my back and stand aside and made me see the whole thing, not letting me have a say at all! The moment I woke up from that nightmare, all of the pain I'd caused you came right back...and it still hurts!"

"How do I know that's true?" Naruto yelled angrily, standing up. "How do I know this won't happen again? I… I can't…I can't do this anymore!"

"That's it…" Everyone turned, surprised by the statement, to see Takara standing there with her ribbon in her hand, twisting it nervously. "That's the sign…the sign I've been looking for…"

"What?" Suichi turned to her. "Takara, you're not making any sense." Suichi never called her by her first name, unless he was really worried about her.

"Don't you see?! It's them!" she pointed to her fighting comrades. "They're the sign! I knew it…"

"Wh-what are you talking about, Hime-sama?" Miyuki asked, afraid of the answer.

"What do you mean? It's plain as day! I have to go back!" Everyone looked at her in disbelief, but soon they understood. To heal the wounds of the fallen, as she had said long ago to Suichi. Takara was the kind of person who couldn't stand to see her friends hurt, and she would always do anything for them.That was her true purpose...

"Do…do you really mean it?" Sasuke asked quietly, hoping it was true. "I mean---"

Naruto stepped in front of Takara, cutting off an already annoyed Sasuke. "What kinda logic is that?!" he asked crossly, apparently the only one who didn't get it. "I mean, why would you wanna go somewhere where people try and beat the crap outta each other?"

At first, Takara was surprised at this, but, slowly, she began to laugh. She had missed this. These little moments were everything to her. The moments when Naruto put all of his heartache aside to speak his mind, and that didn't happen very often anymore...

Naruto smiled at her. "Well, I guess if it makes you happy, then we should---"

Silence. Thirteen kunai hit him on the back. A scream…

"Happy birthday, you son of a bitch. A present from the princess…"

End of chapter 13

A/N: Pretty soon, this part of my fiction will come to a close. When that happens, I will try a similar story that takes place right now, where Shippuden is. I hope my fans from this fic will also read that. I think it should be called "Breaking the Chains." I guess that's sorta a clue…There will also be a few preview pics on my DeviantArt account, so look out for that. Until next time…


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